Second Life
by Poseidon's Following
Summary: Before Bella came into the Cullen's life, Logan came into Emmett's. It's canon except that Rosalie and Emmett's relationship isn't romantic. Pre-Twilight, AU, OC POV, Slash w/Emmett w/lemons. Please write reviews!
1. Ch 1: My Second Life Begins

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, et cetera are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

…

I never perceived humans as anything more than a food source. It was not a god complex by any means, but I had long become accustomed to my role. I was the predator and they were the prey. I had been a vampire for ten years when I first discovered the Cullen coven. I had almost lost all my humanity when I ran into a pixie-like vampire dragging a muscle-laden vampire twice her size around a mall in Seattle. Little did I know, this muscular vampire and his coven would irreparably change my second life.

…

"Emmett, just one more store! You bet Jasper that the Seahawks would win next Sunday and they won't! Get over it and get a move on!" the pixie pleaded.

_Next?_ I questioned internally. _Next Sunday?_

"I don't see how my bet with Jasper should've landed me here. This fucking blows!" The one I now knew as Emmett was carrying a half dozen bags ladened with the designer clothes the bag's label indicated. I sat in the food court, hundreds of feet from the arguing vampires, listening to their conversation as if I was standing next to them. Their eyes were… gold.

_Strange_, I thought. I planned to let them enter the store they were in front of and then sneak off in the opposite direction. I didn't want to engage them here in front of so many humans. Even we three, working together, couldn't silence all the humans around to prevent from being discovered. The thought of the ramifications chilled my already frigid body. My plan, however, didn't bear fruit when Emmett started to walk in my direction.

"ALICE! Go into your shop. I'll wait over here. Damn shop-a-holic! This is stupid," Emmett spat under his breath, too quiet for any human nearby to hear. I heard it and of course, I sniggered. Oops. I froze. Emmett, who had seated himself a dozen tables away, turned himself in my direction. He looked confused at the sight of my ocean blue eyes.

Having the ability to control the molecules around you came in handy when you wanted to camouflage your appearance. I granted my skin a deep and even tan, like I had spent many months surfing the beaches of southern California or Hawaii. And seated under this skylight, I refused to allow the rare Seattle sun make that skin sparkle as I knew Emmett's would if he were seated next to me. I just had a healthy glow.

I raised my eyebrows at him and he growled very low. I rolled my eyes, got up, and approached him. One vampire, even this large, I could handle.

"Save your growl for a human," I said plopping down at Emmett's table. His confusion overtook his desire to back away and protect himself. After a second of silence, I decided to give him the real me—the vampire me that is. The tension at my temples ceased as I let my mind stop controlling the pigments in my skin and eyes. They reverted to their pasty white and blood red, respectfully. Emmett dropped his bags onto the ground and jumped back. He was ready for an attack. I looked around the food court to see whether Emmett was causing a scene.

Nobody paid us any attention of course. Humans were so blissfully unaware of their own surroundings. It was what made them easy prey. Anticipation of a kill roiled my stomach and my throat burned with a unquenchable thirst. I shook my head to clear the thoughts of satisfying my bloodlust and locked my eyes upon Emmett's.

"Don't fear me, Emmett," I cautioned. "I don't intend to fight you. I just thought your 'shop-a-holic' comment was funny albeit a bit cliché. I'm Logan by the way. It's, uh, nice to meet you." I stuck my hand out in greeting. I had seen so many humans do that as a way of defusing the tension of first encounters.

Emmett slowly approached me. "Um yeah, I'm Emmett. Nice to, um yeah, meet you?"

"Was that a question?" I asked tilting my head to one side.

"Huh?" he asked back. I looked around the food court. The humans were still overly involved in their own lives. I turned back to Emmett. He was just staring at me.

"Um, right," I said and grabbed his outstretched hand into mine. In the short moment that we made contact, I felt a charge of what felt like static electricity run up my hand, wrist, arm, and across my body. My eyes quivered and shut. What just happened?

"What is happening to your hand?" Emmett was wide eyed in fascination, possibly a little fear too. I looked at the target of Emmett's interest. My hand was phased into his. Shit! I pulled it to my chest and wiped it across it like I had dripped something on my hand.

"Sorry, Em," I said quietly. I stood still, but felt I needed to explain. "I can do that you see. I can control the matter around me and in me."

Emmett didn't take long to respond, nor was he quiet about it. "Dude, that's awesome! Can you, like walk through walls?"

I nodded my head.

His mouth dropped.

"It's particularly helpful when I hunt. You know, those pesky home alarm systems and all," I explained.

"Uh, yeah. Well, it was nice to meet you. I better be getting home." Emmett waved at me and started walking toward the shop Alice was in.

_Home?_ _What vampire has a home_? Intrigued, I followed Emmett toward the boutique. Before I got two steps closer however, I saw Alice run towards me at a relatively human pace. She was good at playing human. I was thoroughly impressed. As the distance between us decreased, I thought of stepping back to maintain a little distance from her, but she didn't hesitate. _Let's see where this goes_, I decided.

She went right into my arms and threw a huge hug around me.

"I'm Alice!" she squealed. "I know you are going to love living with us!" I looked over her shoulder at Emmett, who was smirking.

"Hey Logan, the car is over here," Emmett announced as he pointed towards one of the exits on the far side of the food court. He started to walk in that direction.

Alice let me loose from our hug, but held my hand tight. She escorted me across the food court and before I knew it, I was at a very yellow Porsche. Alice jumped into the driver's side and Emmett held the door for me.

"Alice, this is a real nice ride," I said in a reverent tone.

Alice squealed, "You know cars too? Rosalie will absolutely love you!"

"You getting in?" Emmett asked, pointing at the back seat. Throwing any caution I might have had in getting into a closed space with two other vampires to the wind, I hopped in the back of the Porsche. As I slid inside, I grazed against Emmett's shoulder and that static shock thing made my arm go numb.

"Sorry," I said as I massaged my arm.

"It's all good in the neighborhood," Emmett laughed.

"What vampire has a Porsche!" I thought out loud as Alice sped away from the mall. She was driving at what seemed the speed of sound.

"This vampire does," Alice responded as she shifted into a higher gear. I enjoyed the speed too much to say much more. As Seattle faded behind the horizon, I looked over to Emmett who was texting on a cell phone.

"Okay, you two are the strangest vampires I have ever met!" I said incredulously. "First, shopping in a shopping mall; second, a Porsche; and finally, a CELL PHONE! I think I let you shanghai me just so I could see if you two are truly vampires or actually humans in vampire bodies!"

"I'll take that as a compliment," Alice said.

"Don't worry about the cell, Logan. I'm just letting the family know we're bringing someone home for dinner," Emmett laughed.

"Dinner?" I asked rhetorically. "What are we eating? Roast human with a side of blood stuffing?"

"Nah, probably more like raw venison with a side of grizzly bear," Emmett whispered beneath Alice's shrieking laughter.

About an hour later, we pulled off Highway 101 onto a long winding driveway. Rolling up to a big house, I couldn't help but be impressed with the amount of windows facing every direction into the woods. "It's like being outside in the forest, but inside at the same time," I said awestruck.

"That was the theme Esme was searching to portray when she designed the house. I'll let her know you appreciate her artistic talent too. Wow, Logan, you're fitting in with this family already and it has only been two hours." Alice's compliments were so strange. I didn't bother to ask what she meant by "fitting in" because I knew that she would just answer with cryptic answer.

Alice drove her Porsche into the garage and the distinct scents of five more vampires flew into my nostrils. It was easy to commit them to memory and I was anxious to place a name with each scent. I looked out my window to see a beautiful blonde vampire underneath the hood of a silver Jeep. She was arms-deep inside the engine. Alice and Emmett got out of the Porsche and Emmett held the door open for me like a perfect gentleman. _I could grow to enjoy this_, I cautiously thought.

Alice flitted over to the grease monkey vampire. "Rosalie! This is Logan, the person Emmett texted you about!"

Rosalie withdrew her head from the engine compartment to stare me down. She rolled her big eyes at me. "Big deal," she said with annoyance imbedded into every syllable. She then went back to work on the Jeep, however not two seconds later, she then threw out a few expletives. "Dammit Emmett, what did you do to this Jeep! I haven't been able to get it above a hundred since you took it up that mountain trail! Every time you break your toys, I'm the one fixing them!"

"Whoa, grease monkey is a firecracker!" I quipped.

Rosalie pulled her head from the engine compartment and shot daggers at me with her eyes. "Listen here, what was your name again? Nolan? Watch your tongue or I'll shove a firecracker underneath it."

Without missing a beat, I responded, "I'd like to see you try."

Emmett and Alice wailed in laughter. Rosalie threw her middle finger into the air and growled at me. Ignoring Rosalie, I looked at the engine compartment and saw through the steel and plastic. Searching around I found what Rosalie was grumbling about. I approached Rosalie who, sensing my proximity, stiffened. I grabbed at the air filter and pulled it out. It was caked with about a mountain of dirt.

I handed the filter to Rosalie. "This is what is causing your performance failure."

"Shit, it's already too late to run into town to get a new filter." She threw her wrench onto the concrete floor so hard it cracked the concrete. "Dammit!"

"Better hope Esme didn't hear you do that!" Emmett tried to say over his booming laughs.

I kneeled down and picked up the now bent wrench. I handed it over to Rosalie and took the air filter out of her hand. "Watch this, grease monkey," I said as I waved my hand over the filter. I felt a familiar pull near my temples and saw the dirt and grim come out of the filter's fibers. I rubbed my hands together and the dirt coalesced into a ball that hovered above my hand. I turned to Emmett, who looked at me with a dumbfounded face. "Consider this your revenge, my dear grease monkey." I flung the dirt ball into Emmett's face and it exploded in a poof of dust.

It was Rosalie's turn to wail with laughter. "Who did you bring home Alice? I already love him."

"It's Logan," I corrected her from earlier.

"Yes, I know what your name is. Come on in, time to meet the rest of the family."

"You all keep saying family. This is a coven, right?" This confusion was getting old really fast.

"Uh, why don't we let Carlisle explain," Emmett said after getting the dirt off his face. "Just to give you a fair warning though, punk. Revenge in the Cullen household is a way of life. Be prepared."

I laughed at Emmett's comment. "I'm many things, Em, but I am no punk. So bring it, bitch."

He smiled in response. I almost fell on my butt gawking at that smile. Whoa, this guy was cute!

…

The leader of the Cullen family/coven, Carlisle, came home from work a few hours later. I was shocked to find out he worked at a hospital. I contemplated asking how he abstained from all the blood bags, living and plastic, which surrounded him everyday, but decided that conversation was better for another time. Jasper, Alice's mate, was nice after Alice said I was okay. Her opinion went far with Jasper, but I noticed that he perceived himself as the Cullen's first defense. The scars that were strewn across his skin were a veritable sign of his vampire-killing prowess. Esme was an absolute sweetheart. She had just given me a tour of the house when the final member of the Cullens, Edward arrived home from hunting.

"I don't mean to be rude, but why are your eyes gold?" I finally blurted out. We were all sitting in the living room. It was plush with couches and armchairs of a modern style. Paintings were tastefully placed on the walls that weren't windows.

"No, you are fine," Carlisle responded in a distinct albeit muted British accent. "We abstain from hunting humans and live on the blood of animals. That is why our eyes are gold. But, why is it that your eyes are blue?"

"Yeah, you live off blue fin tuna or blue Chesapeake crab or something?" Emmett continued to throw out whatever blue-named animals he could think of.

Carlisle waited patiently until Emmett finished his tirade before coaxing me to answer. Carlisle's patience impressed me. I thought about dropping a painting onto Emmett's head to shut him up, but thought better of it when I remembered how much pride Esme had in her perfect house. Emmett probably wouldn't have shut up anyways. Broken wood and canvas didn't exactly puncture vampire skin.

Edward let out a laugh and it made me weary of him. I chose to ignore my feeling and turned to Carlisle to answer his question.

"Carlisle, when I was turned I quickly discovered that I have an innate ability to see and control the molecules that make up the matter around us. This means I can pull a picture frame off the wall and crash it over Emmett's head or phase my body through solid objects." As a demonstration, I latched onto a gigantic painting with my mind and threw it towards Emmett. Before he could react I phased the frame through Emmett's body and hung the painting on the wall again. Esme popped out of Carlisle's lap and went over to the painting. She put her hands on her hips and stared at the positioning of the painting for what seemed like an eternity. Then, she pulled one side down by a fraction of a millimeter. I must not have perfectly centered the frame when I put it back.

"Impressive," Carlisle responded.

Edward's interest peaked and he joined in on the conversation. "Can you phase other vampires or people?"

"I've never tried humans. I've done it a few times to attacking vampires. The farther away they were, the more difficult it was to do. It wasn't really a problem in the end though because they had to be literally on me to hurt me so it was easy to phase most of them into the ground and then rip their head off." The nonchalance of my statement didn't escape me. I wanted it to be established as soon as possible what I could do. No matter how welcoming these vampires were, I was still outnumbered seven to one.

"Who else knows about your power?" asked Jasper. He scooted closer on the couch towards Alice. She rolled her eyes at his posturing.

Rosalie shifted in her seat. I could see she was toying with her own question so I invited her to speak. "What do you mean," she said in a snotty tone, "when you phase them into the ground? Do you mean—literally or just that you dig them a hole?"

The atmosphere in the room was becoming tense. Carlisle sensed my unease. "Everyone calm down. I am sure Logan means no harm to any of us so we should offer him the same courtesy."

Carlisle made me feel a little better. I could tell he was the leader and that no one questioned him after he made a decision. I wanted to tell these people about me though. I have never told anyone and the life of nomad can be lonely.

"It can be lonely," Edward said.

I squinted my eyes at him and a switch flipped on in my head. "I guess I'm not the only one with abilities. Psychic?"

"Yes," Edward's said.

I turned to Alice, "Clairvoyant?"

"Perceptive," commented Jasper. "How old are you?"

Carlisle interjected, "I think we are done interrogating our guest, don't you think, Jasper?"

…

As the sun fell in the west, I found Jasper in the Cullen's library thumbing through a volume of an encyclopedia. "I didn't think they made those in paper form any more. You know they have the Internet now. And it's probably better updated."

Jasper laughed to himself and closed the book. He put the volume on a bookshelf and said, "I was changed during the Civil War and so some habits—like preferring paper to electronic—die hard. Would you care to sit with me?"

I took a seat in the armchair opposite Jasper. In front of us was a roaring fire. To anyone else, it merely looked like chemical reaction of fuel, heat, and oxygen. But to me, it was a combustion of color where each individual molecule of the wood would explode into a ray of heat that spread across the room. It was breathtaking. While charred wood remained behind, even that was beautiful. It glistened in the fire around it like an island of black diamonds.

"What do you see?" Jasper must've noticed how deep my gaze was in the fire.

I shook my head and turned to him. "It would be too hard to describe. For something so simple as a fire, it's quite breathtaking." We sat by the firelight for a few minutes, but eventually I broached the topic of his earlier question about who else knew about my ability.

Jasper sighed. "I apologize if I was rude earlier. I did not mean to make you feel uncomfortable. I could tell that the all the questioning was getting to you, however I did not stop. I blame it on my tactical mind. I fought in the Southern Wars, if you did not know. Strategic planning and knowing the worst case scenarios are bad habits of mine."

I had heard a little of the Southern Wars. They were brutal and that was obviously where Jasper acquired all his battle scars. He had to be a formidable warrior to have survived all those bites.

"I would be happy to answer any question you have. I can respect a tactical mind," I admitted. "I may not have any experience in the context of warfare, but I can _see_ things that others can't."

"Fair enough," Jasper responded.

I laughed awkwardly. "To answer your earlier question, aside from the people in this house, no one has survived long enough to tell anyone about my ability."

"Uh, are you some sort of super vampire?" Emmett teased as he entered the room. His interest was peaked when I told Jasper I would answer his questions. The others were interested too because they all came into the room on Emmett's tail.

I rolled my eyes. "Uh no, I've only killed two other vampires in my life. The first was my sire and the other one was a nomad. I have kept to myself mostly."

"How many years have you been a vampire?" Jasper asked.

"I've been living this second life for a little less than ten years. After my newborn bloodlust waned, I realized what type of vampire my sire was. I took him out of commission. The nomad was over a kill that both she and I claimed. She is no more as well."

"How did you come to this life?" Carlisle asked.

"You want the whole story?" I asked.

"I'm not getting younger," Emmett blurted.

"Nor are you getting any older smart ass," I responded.

I got out of my chair and approached the fire. It had died down somewhat, but it was ever as beautiful. I turned to face the Cullens and began my story. "I should start with who I was two days before my first life ended. As you all probably know, much of a vampire's human memories are lost in the change, but I was able to piece most of what happened together over the years after the change.

"Two days before my first life ended, I was the only child of a pair of middle class parents. My mother was a homemaker. She was quiet, loving, and ever loyal to my father. My father was the breadwinner and was really strict with my mom and I. The sort of strict that should bring around the image of a belt being used as punishment when I would get a bad grade in math." I shuddered from the uncomfortable thought even though it was so far departed from this time and place.

"My father was a good Christian man. He took the Bible literally. He was the man of the house and my mother and I were to exist in our subservient places. I remember going to school and coming home with a bloody nose or being all bruised up, and my dad would look at me and tell me it was because I was a weak faggot. He told me I needed to toughen up. His son wasn't a faggot." Esme sighed in displeasure. The mood in the room became heady. Jasper's eyes wouldn't leave the floor. I had to continue though.

I forced the awkward pause to slip away and started again. "Little did my father know, however, his son was, as he put it, a faggot. The secret of my sexuality was one I kept from the first time I realized who I was. But living in small town Nebraska was not exactly the place where I wanted to come out. I planned to move away for college and experience life outside the closet. That didn't happen in the end, however.

"I was pretty much a loner accept for one friend. I don't remember his name, but I do know I had the biggest crush on him. By junior year, we hung out every day and I thought he had feelings for me too. One day in gym class, I approached him in the showers and he kissed me. Little did I know there was a gang of jocks behind me. My friend, who must not have seen the boys, pushed me away and said that I threw myself at him. He ran away then and I never saw him again. He left me alone with six jocks.

"They beat me. Oh, they beat me to a pulp. An ambulance had to take me to the hospital where I was put into the intensive care unit with a shattered femur, broken ribs, and a punctured lung. My parents refused to leave my bedside at the hospital. My father wanted to press criminal charges, but this was until he found out what sparked the attack. The kiss. I was barely conscious when he told me to never come home. My mother asked him why he was being so irrational in the middle of the hospital. Her protection of me made me feel secure and warm. The feelings were not to last. After my father told her, she turned to face me and saw tears streaming down my face. The truth was too much for her. She grabbed her purse and walked out of the hospital room with my father. I never saw either my parents again in my first life.

"I laid there in the ICU for another day just sobbing. I never felt so helpless in my entire life. I was hurt, afraid, and most of all, alone. I wanted to die. The pain of loosing my family was too much for me to bear. Little did I know that the sear of the venom would be the pain of loosing my family multplied by a million." All the Cullen's looked at me as if they suddenly remembered there was a vampire part to my story.

I smiled an evil smile. "Yes, that part of the story happened next. It was late and a thunderstorm had hit the area. I could barely move, but I didn't want to either. The doctors were concerned because I hadn't taken any food down in more than a day. They continued to ask me where my parents where or what a better phone would be to contact them. I didn't respond. How could I? They disowned me for being who I was.

"The thunderstorm continued to crack and howl outside. It was then that I noticed a shadow in a corner of my tiny room. The shadow crept closer to me and I tried to hit the nurse call button. Before I could press it though, the shadow's hand crushed my own. I screamed in a mix of terror and pain. He held my hand for a second and looked into my face. For the first time, I saw the face of my sire. His eyes were black as night. He was thirsty for my blood. He felt along my wrist for my ulnar artery. Later, I would discover it was his favorite entrance point. He preferred to cause as much pain as possible. He thought the flavor of the blood was enhanced with blood curdling screams. No pun intended." No one laughed.

"He licked my wrist. His tongue was cold and rock solid. Then… he bit through my skin like it was paper. The pain was excruciating. But then, the pain grew exponentially as the venom started to course up my arm. My life would have ended a few seconds later if it wouldn't have been for a group of nurses who rushed in the room because they had heard me scream.

"The nurses's screams alerted others in the hospital to a situation in my room. My sire had to clean up his mess so he went about draining all the nurses in order as they came into the room. While my sire was distracted, I detached myself from all the machines that were hooked up to me. I fell to the floor and my landing was greeted with a crack. I knew I busted another rib. The pain in the rib would have been bad if it wasn't for the searing fire that was creeping up my arm.

"It hit my shoulder and I must've became delirious. I pulled myself from the floor and bumped into the window. With my good hand, I broke through the glass. In hindsight, the venom must've given me the strength to bust through that window, but in the moment, I thought it but by the grace of God that the window shattered. I lifted myself up over the ledge with all my remaining strength and slid out the window. I don't know how high up I was. I didn't even consider whether the fall would kill me. I just needed to get away from my sire.

"On the ground, I found myself near a creek that had swollen with the runoff from the storm. I crawled over to a stand of trees and screammed in pain for three days. To this day, I'm still surprised that no one found me during my change. When the transformation was complete, I laid motionless. I thought I was dead as there was no pain from my wrist, leg, or ribs.

"My sire found me a few hours later and he taught me all the rules of this life—my second life, as I like to call it. I followed him around for two years. I had to. I couldn't think clear enough to venture out on my own let alone fulfill my thirst without creating a spectacle of myself. As the bloodlust waned, my human memories began to surface. I eventually realized it was my sire that had created me and caused me so much pain. He told me he had a penchant for sneaking into hospitals and draining his victims dry.

"When I found out about the hospital part, I snapped and my powers as you all have experienced thus far manifested. I phased him half way into a concrete wall and ripped his head from his body. I tried disintegrating it with my mind or tearing it into smaller pieces with my hands, but my sire continued to re-form. Finally, I found that fire took care of the job. He wouldn't hurt another human again." I closed my mouth and sat down in the armchair.

Esme immediately walked over to me and pulled me into a bone-crushing hug. She sobbed tears that would never form. "I'm so sorry, Logan. All that you had to go through, at such a young age, it just tears my heart apart."

While still in her hug, I whispered, "Esme, I appreciate your empathy, but I've had a long time to deal with this life. And I've come to the conclusion that God gave it to me as a gift."

Edward scoffed at that last statement.

I looked over Esme's shoulder at him. "No really, Edward, God gave me a second chance at life. It might not be the life most people would want, but it is a life nonetheless and I cannot me more grateful."

Edward nodded.


	2. Ch 2: Hum

After I finished my story, Carlisle commented that he was astounded I remembered so much from my first life. I forced myself to smile in response because I didn't want to communicate my true feelings on the matter. Bitterness. I cursed knowing _exactly_ what I had lost and how I lost it.

I sighed.

"What is the matter, dear?" Esme asked. She put her hand on my shoulder in an attempt to comfort me. It was subtle yet so uplifting.

I refused to let my bitterness get the best of me and instead asked Carlisle to tell me about him and his family. He did me the honor of reciting the entire Cullen history. It took three days and the most shocking part of the story was the fact that they all hunted animals over humans.

"I admit we are more different than most in our world," Edward answered my silent comment.

I didn't want to offend the Cullens. It wasn't polite or tactically wise. "I would prefer the term 'weird,' but I think it is better to be weird than boring," I said with a chuckle. "We're all weird in our own way."

"That's assuming there are only two options, right?" Emmett's question was obviously rhetorical, but I couldn't miss an opportunity to engage _him_ in conversation. He was smart. The others might think of him as simple, but that was definitely their mistake.

"Take the compliment for what it is, Em," I said with a smile.

He smiled back at me. The way his dimples indented into his cheeks set my body ablaze. The sudden rush caused me to choke. It was like I was socked in the gut by a fist. When I found the sanity to inhale a breath, my body lurched forward and the bat took another swing. This time, the most wonderful scent invaded my nose, my life, and my soul. It was a combination of sandalwood, fresh squeezed lemons, and a hint of… sweet tea, like the flavor of sweet tea I used to drink when I was human.

It was emanating from Emmett… His saccarine scent was intoxicating. It drew me in, but sanity took control and I commanded my feet not to move. If I had moved, I would have essentially tackled Emmett. That would've misconstrued as an attack and I didn't want to attack him _like that_. I wanted to attack his lips, his body, and his soul in another fashion.

All this occurred over the course of two seconds. Hopefully, it was lost on everyone in the room. I took a quick glance around. Only Jasper was looking directly at me. Jasper's eyebrow was high above his forehead. He smiled. He totally knew.

Shit.

I had to be wary about both my feelings and thoughts here. With Jasper's sensitivity to emotions and Edward's mindreading abilities, I would have to practice thinking about lame subjects like fishing and photosynthesis whenever Emmett was around. _Ugh._ This was going to be hard.

I watched as Emmett peered out the window at the rain. I watched his eyes flash about taking in the raindrops individually as they fell. Emmett was mesmerized. I was too.

_He better not be taken!_ I growled internally.

I heard a cough, and then another. I turned my head away from Emmett to see Edward was clearing his throat. "Go ahead Logan, ask your question."

_Damn you, Edward! Way to throw me under the bus_, I screamed.

"A bus wouldn't crush you," Edward noted quietly.

"A bus?" Emmett asked. I could feel his cool breath reach me. My eye twitched.

I had to be careful. I had not yet figured out who of the Cullens were mated with Emmett. Such a thought made me sick to my stomach, as if I hadn't hunted in months. But, who was I to come into their lives and throw them through a fan? I knew Carlisle and Esme were together and so were Alice and Jasper. So that left Rosalie, Edward, and Emmett? I had to ask. "So are any of you mated? This is the biggest coven of vampires I have ever come upon so it seems natural that some of you would…"

"Hook up?" Emmett said with a laugh.

"That is disgusting," Rosalie said throwing her elbow into Emmett's side.

Emmett wasn't ashamed. "Not disgusting if it's true."

I had to laugh. It helped dissipate the tension.

Alice rolled her eyes. "Carlisle did hope that Emmett and Rosalie would mate when Emmett came out of his newborn years. Then again, Carlisle hoped the same for Edward and Rose when her own bloodlust waned. All three of them sort have evolved into close siblings, but nothing more."

Rose gagged. "Wait Logan, you thought I was mated to Edward or Emmett? Come now, I thought you were smarter than that!"

Without skipping a beat, I said, "It's just you're so beautiful. I'm shocked that neither has tried to mate with you."

That caught Rose off guard. She primped her hair for a moment. "Well Logan, maybe you are really smart."

The whole room lost it in laughter. Rose, the Vain was now the comic relief. I couldn't thank her enough.

The laughter didn't last quite long enough and the room soon became silent. I bit my lower lip at the awkwardness of the situation. How could I break it again? I needed to clear my head, but I didn't want to be rude. "So who wants to take me out hunting, vegetarian style, so I can see what all the hype is about?"

That caught everyone off guard. "What?" I asked.

"Three days and you're already willing to swear off human blood?" Esme asked with an emphatic smile.

That smile made me uncomfortable and I couldn't quite place my finger on why. "Well no, I didn't say that. I just want to see how you and your family live."

Esme's smile didn't falter.

I looked over to Alice who was beaming the same smile. What did she know that I didn't? This whole mental gifts thing was frustrating. I wonder how Emmett feels about it?

"He hates it really," Edward said.

I glared at him. "Do you always answer people's thoughts? It's real annoying."

"And that is why I do it. To annoy people," Edward laughed. I wished I could drop a painting on his head to shut him up, but he would know it was coming and would avoid it. I glared at Edward, challenging him to respond to my latest thoughts.

He didn't. Instead he changed the subject and suggested the whole "family" go for a hunt together. Apparently, the deer herds in southern Oregon were overpopulated.

The run to Oregon was short, but it gave me an opportunity to be alone with my thoughts, for the most part. Edward was the fastest of the Cullens and he ran at full speed. He wanted to stretch his legs, which I did as well. Everyone else fanned out over a mile in diameter, but otherwise kept pace with me.

We arrived on the eastern border of the Williamette National Forest, right where the forest met the mountains. I had hunted here before. Today, I would be hunting something different. My stomach lurched in protest. This might be difficult.

The forest was beautiful. It had just rained and the sun was out now. The air was fresh and crisp with the smell of the wet forest. My feet pushed into the mushy pine needles below. It was spongy.

"Okay, how do we do this?" I asked.

Edward, who let everyone catch up to him, was the first to speak. "Why don't you let Emmett teach you? I am sure he would love to teach you."

"Awww come on! I'm thirsty! Make Jazz do it. He probably knows how to gag less than me!" Emmett's words pierced hard into my self-esteem and pride. He didn't want to be with me. I bit my lip.

Esme came to the rescue with a slap upside Emmett's head. "Do not be rude! Show Logan how we do this."

"Sorry Logan, I'm just really thirsty," Emmett said.

I accepted that it wasn't because of me directly. "It's okay Em. You can take down as many of the herd until you're satiated. I'll just watch and take notes."

Emmett smiled at the compromise. I smiled back. _Ugh, he was cute…_

Emmett ran into the woods with me on his tail. We found the herd soon enough, but Emmett ran a wide circle around them. He kept his head moving taking stock of what we had on the smorgasbord. He also looked into the woods and smelled often. Perhaps there was other or better prey in the woods? I would have to ask.

The scent of the herd hit my nostrils as soon as they hit Emmett's. It wasn't appealing at all, but thankfully I didn't retch at the smell. I didn't want to embarrass myself in front of Emmett. Maybe I should have done this with someone who wouldn't distract me as easily, or at all. I laughed at myself.

"Ready?" Emmett called out. He was about a hundred feet ahead of me. I came around a large stand of trees to see three does foraging.

I nodded.

Emmett, the colossal man that he was, ran with such speed and grace that he looked more like a gazelle mixed with a cheetah. As he approached the does, they sensed the danger and took off into the woods. Emmett hopped into the trees and sprang like a monkey. He passed over the does and hopped down right in front of them. It took the does a second to stop and change directions, however it was second too long. Emmett was on the first doe in less than a heartbeat and I heard the snap of its neck. Emmett lunged at the second doe and I heard another snap clear through the forest. In the same lunge, Emmett was on the last doe. He strung his arms around the does neck and pulled it down to the ground hard. He threw his razor sharp teeth into the doe's neck and I saw the red _sustenance_ for a brief second. Emmett's lips were on the wound and he was drinking furiously.

I maintained my distance from Emmett. I didn't want to interfere. From my vantage point, I did get to observe his beauty. The blood was obviously doing the trick. His lips became flushed and pink. The flush trailed across his face and down his arms. Emmett didn't linger long on the third doe. He dropped it and jumped upon the other two in sequence. Each were still alive when Emmett broke the skin with the teeth. Their heartbeats were slow and steady until Emmett bled them to death. Emmett must have broken their necks so they couldn't run. Hopefully, they couldn't feel pain either.

After Emmett finished his lunch, I waived at him to get his attention. He waved me over. "How was the show?" he asked.

"Impressive," I said succinctly. "You looked good."

Emmett got up and took a bow. "Now help me dispose of the bodies."

I pursed my lips. Ew. I would have to touch these things? Whatever. Emmett walked over to a huge tree that had fallen decades ago and picked it up. Using my telekinesis, I ripped the three bodies from the ground and levitated them to the dark, moist ground where the rotting tree had previously laid. Emmett lowered the tree atop the carcasses and they were encased fully. Humans would need a forest fire or a crane to move that tree again.

"Awesome! You're really handy to have around!" Emmett's voice had tinge of sarcasm to it. Bastard.

"So are you ready for the rundown?" Emmett put his hands on his hips. He looked like a track star who just ran a marathon. "Okay, so I ran around the herd first instead of just lunging into them. I wanted to see what the whole situation was. How big the herd was, were there any young, any sick and wounded. A sick one doesn't taste any different than a healthy one, which is surprising. A doe tastes worse than a buck. I think its because a buck will give up more of a fight. A mother would probably give up the best fight, but I never go after a mother with young. That's a personal choice.

"After taking stalk of the prey, you need to make sure there was no possibility you'd run into humans. I know you know the reason why."

Yeah I did.

Emmett continued, "I was lucky to run into the three does. Since they were separated, as long as they didn't reach the herd, the herd would never know and wouldn't stampede through the woods. I don't want to kill anyone else or cause everyone elses meal to run away. Anyway, I made sure to only knock the first two does out. Their blood turns worse as soon as the heart gives out. I drained the last doe and then made my way back. Any questions, grasshopper?"

"How did you know that breaking their necks wouldn't kill them?" I asked with a chuckle. Grasshopper.

"Experience." Emmett's answer was clear to me. I would have to practice to be perfect. It almost sounded like a challenge by the way it came out of Emmett's mouth.

"I didn't really break their necks though," Emmett continued. "It's kind of like a ninja trick to knock them out. If they woke up, they could run away."

I wasn't sure about that. "But I heard the snap of bone. It was pretty distinct."

"I said could, not would," Emmett said with a laugh.

I didn't get what was so funny, but I took the opportunity to be impressed with Emmett's appearance. There was no blood splatter and he didn't have any scratches on his clothes.

"I know, I make this look good," Emmett whispered.

_Huh?_

"Took a lot of practice. At first, I had blood all over my face and my clothes were in tatters. I once took a bear down in Idaho and it ripped my clothes completely off. I had to run all the way home in my birthday suit. I'm sure I accidentially flashed a whole church congregation." Emmett guffawed at the memory.

I had to join him. It masked my erection that was snaking down my left pant leg. The thought of a naked Emmett, oh boy!

"Yeah anyway, then we have to cover up our evidence. It's would be suspicious if someone found a carcass with just a bite mark near the neck. A bear or other predator would have torn it to shreds. So unless you're willing to shred the skin, you have to bury the thing under a rock or something." Emmett pointed back to the tree-grave.

I couldn't really focus on what Emmett was saying however. My erection was throbbing. I tried to croke out, "No, I get it. Burying the carcasses will cause bacteria and maggots to flourish and decompose the body in secret. The maggots will be food for animals higher on the food chain. The circle of life comes round."

Emmett nodded. "Yeah, I guess."

"I guess it's my turn," I redirected. "Follow me this time?"

Emmett nodded again.

I let my senses take over. I smelled the wind and let my feet propel me in the direction of another doe… no the scent was a little different, probably a buck. I was lucky, it was. A twelve-pointer too. Too bad I wasn't a hunter. The buck saw me the instant I saw it and took off into the woods. I was on it in an instant. With a tug to the left, I pulled the buck off its balance and it fell on top of me. I whipped around the beast and pinned it to the ground with my ability. It became very still. My throat burned at a temperature reminiscent of my transformation. _Well, time to take the plunge_.

I laughed as I buried my teeth into the buck's neck. I sucked down my first gulp of animal blood and then two things happened simultaneously. I vomited blood all down my front and Emmett was beside me, breaking the buck's neck and killing it.

Emmett's proximity set my brain into defense mode and I sunk beneath the ground. I sat there beneath the earth contemplating how I could ever come to like—let alone tolerate—that foul _substance_ they called "blood." I felt the stomping of feet above me and I knew that Emmett was trying to get my attention.

I rose out of the earth to see that Emmett wasn't tapping his foot, but rolling around on the moist ground laughing… hysterically. In between guffaws, Emmett sputtered, "Yeah, I knew that would happened. I had the same reaction to my first deer. It gets better after time, but forcing it down your throat and keeping it down is the first step."

We spent the rest of the afternoon running around the forest. I dropped two bucks, an elk, and a grizzly bear. Only after bringing down the bear was I able to keep any portion of the blood down. This would definitely take practice.

Emmett and I were walking slowly back towards the Cullen's agreed meeting point when the scent of another deer pierced through our nostrils. "Can I have this one?" I asked.

Emmett nodded.

I stalked off and pulled the deer down easily. Before I cut the barrier between the blood and me, a thought came across my mind. _Blood is blood. Humans are mammals. Deer are mammals. Rather similar, but obviously different._ "Let's see if I…" I pierced the skin of the deer and delightful delicious delirium took over. The blood seared through my veins and my body trembled in pleasure. I greedily slurped the entire body of blood down. When it emptied, I became anxious for my next kill. That was a common thought for when I took down a human.

_Oh my, I could do this… easily._

I stood from the carcass and saw that Emmett was eyeing me down. He opened his mouth to speak.

"I know what you're going to ask," I cut him off. "How could I enjoy that." I pointed at the dead deer.

Emmett nodded. I could see he was questioning why I could keep that animal blood down on the first day when it took him decades to do it. His face darkened. Was it shame? My heart lept to him.

"Trust me," I tried to head his shame off. "I don't have the control you have or will ever have. I kind of cheated."

"CHEATED!" Emmett exclaimed incredulously.

I pointed at the neck of the deer. "Yeah, I was able to focus just enough to change the molecular composition of the blood to be human-like. It wasn't human blood, technically. It just tasted like it allowing me to trick my body."

Emmett let out a long breath. "Yeah, you're a cheater." He approached me and gave me a slap on the back. And in our connection, he shocked me.

From the point of contact, my body hummed in… _anticipation?_ The hum was like when a streetlight would burst to life. The electricity flowing through the filament was so intense it caused the air around it to vibrate, to hum. Emmett made my body hum. The hum made stomach have a contorted feeling.

I turned to face Emmett to see if he was having any reaction to our connection. If he was, he didn't show it. I hoped then and there I wasn't showing it either. I bit my lip. "Ready to head back?"

"Hell yeah! Jasper owes me five-double moves the next time we play chess. I want to rub it in my face. Raise the roof!" Emmett lifted the air with his hands, or portrayed what he would look like doing it at least.

"Huh?"

"Come on Logan, one thing you need to know about this family is we are a betting family. We have wagers on everything. And on you, Jasper bet me that you wouldn't be able to keep one drop of blood down. You would've failed me until your last stint. You cheated, but I won. Thanks buddy!" Emmett grabbed me in a headlock and gave me a vampire-nuggie.

"You rip any of my hair out, you are putting it back in!" I yelled. I only had one set of hair to last me an eternity and I wasn't about to lose it because of this oaf!

We made it back to the rendezvous point and Emmett recanted my experience with a degree of embellishments. I guess I had to become accustomed to his inability to give the exact story. I about ripped his head off when he lingered on my regurgitations. It was then I noticed my clothing were in tatters and stained blood red. Everyone else around me was spotless.

I put my hands on my hips and with a little concentration, the animal blood dripped off me and the fibers of my shirt and pants reconnected. I looked as clean as anyone else.

"Like I said," Emmett commented. "A cheater."

I shrugged my shoulders. "Guess I'm just that awesome, Em."

"Impressive," Carlisle commented. "You should meet a friend of mine. His name is Eleazar and he has a way of understanding people's gifts. I'm sure he would be fascinated by you."

I felt like a lab rat. "Is that like his gift?"

"He would argue that it was not," Carlisle said. "I would disagree however. Would you be interested in meeting him?"

"Hunting in Alaska?" Emmett asked, his fingers around his chin.

Alice's eyes glossed over. "Yes, Logan would be interested, Carlisle."

"I thought your visions were subject to my decisions," I said to Alice.

"They're subject to decisions, not necessarily yours." Alice's clarification was more confusing.

Edward's eyes were wide. He refused to explain and said it would all become clear soon enough. For an immortal, "soon" had an entirely different context.


	3. Ch 3: What We Do For Family

Monday rolled around and I was shocked to discover Jasper, Edward, Rosalie, Alice, and Emmett were getting ready for school! I honestly thought they were kidding when they told me about this part of their existence and that graduation cap display on the stairs was a continuation of the joke. I looked at them with shock as they were departing into the garage. "You have got to be kidding. That has to be the most miserable experience."

"It allows us to be a part of the world rather than exist in its shadows." That was Edward's only response as he jumped into his Volvo and raced away towards the sleepy town nearby.

I turned to Esme who was reading through the latest edition of Architects Monthly. The house was empty aside from her and I. "Why do you do it, Esme?"

She put down her magazine and smiled. Her motherly glow nearly blinded me. "Dear," she crooned, "Edward did put it eloquently. I feel sorry for them actually. I look old enough to be their parent and in most instances I play that role. Only once did I play Edward's sister. Having not replayed that role should tell you that I prefer the mother-son relationship more."

"I don't think you could be anything else," I said with a smile.

"Oh dear, you are too kind." Esme was positively gushing affection now. She had only known me for a few days, but I felt I could talk to her about anything. It was like I could do the worse thing in the world and she would still hug me at the end of the day. I felt that way about my human parents once. It was spooky when events in my second life reminded me so vividly of my first. Esme noticed that I was deep in thought because she asked, "Dear, where are your thoughts? You just went dark. What is wrong?"

"Just having some déjà vu. Really, I'm okay." I put my hand on her shoulder and gently squeezed it. My answer was sufficient for Esme. That was another thing about Esme—she didn't pry. "So how long have you all been here in Forks?"

"We moved down here a little less than two years ago. Carlisle and I timed it so _our children_ could spend the summer here and than start as freshman at Forks High School; Emmett and Rosalie started as sophomores though. They look older than Edward, Jazz, and Alice. Starting so young allows us to stay here longer, but we'll eventually have to move on again when people start noticing that we are not aging."

"Yeah, I was going to ask about the whole frozen-in-time thing."

"That is years from now. Do you want to try hunting again?" Esme asked earnestly.

"Way to change the subject awkwardly," I responded.

"That wasn't an answer."

"Uh, yeah sure." I was unsure why they were pushing this on me. Well, they weren't techincally pushing it on me, but rather giving me ample opportunity to try their lifestyle out. I wasn't having trouble keeping it down. It tasted wonderful now that I mastered the animal to human blood trick. Now that I was able to keep it down, I _felt_ like I consumed three humans everytime I took down an elk or bear. The thought of efficiency made me chuckle. I was down for efficiency.

…

The best part about being a vampire was running. The sheer freedom to navigate the forest at a rapid speed was absolutely intoxicating. I could run around the world. Esme and my run didn't last long however, because we spotted a very large mountain lion high in one of the trees.

"Do you mind?" I asked Esme. She nodded and I flew up to the branch holding the lion. "Here kitty!" I taunted. The mountain lion was having no nonsense and swiped at my chest. His sharp nails sliced through my coat and shirt, but went no further. I could smell the fear and adrenaline pumping through my prey. I pounced and grabbed the mountain lion by the neck. We both fell out of the tree. I oriented my body so as to make sure the lion and I fell onto my back. I didn't want to cause the animal any more pain than what was going to naturally come. With a loud thud I bounced off the ground and to my feet. In the same motion I threw my razor sharp teeth into the juicy neck of the cat. The beast wailed in pain and I quickly snapped its neck, killing it instantly. The taste of the blood was bad at first. Remembering my trick and reenacting it here, I changed the blood's composition to taste like a human. _Yum..._ I had to be quick though. Emmett was right. The second the heart stops, the blood becomes less palpable by the second.

I drained the cat after a few minutes and I felt all sloshy.

As I was burying carcass in a natural trench I found, I wondered what would happen if I ran across a human at this moment. It has been awhile since I smelled their true scent. They wouldn't have survived an encounter normally so… I focused on the burning ache in my throat. It burned for the human flavor, but it wasn't any more of an ache than normal. I smiled. Maybe I could do this. The just animals diet.

"This animal thing isn't that bad," I commented.

"The temptation will always be there," Esme cautioned. "You face increased temptation because of your little trick. It took me decades to acquire this amount of control and Carlisle centuries to get to his point. That time creates a comfortable cushion from making the wrong decision. The difficulty you face is choosing to be a different person—one that does not feed on humans. A decision you would regret. It is our choices that show who we are."

"Sage wisdom, Esme," I chuckled. "When did you become Buddha?"

"Right now," she replied and gave me a swift backhand upside the head. "Let's head back. School is out and Carlisle will be back from his 12-hour shift soon." She swooned at the mention of Carlisle's name. I rolled my eyes and followed her all the way back to the house. Only after crossing the threshold into the house did it cross my mind that Esme didn't drink at all on our hunting trip. That trip was all for me. She was such a sly momma devil.

…

Three more weeks passed since my hunting trip with Esme. I had gone out hunting at least once a day. I felt bad for depleting the local population of deer, elk, and other assorted animals until Carlisle mentioned that the Cullens had set up a huge endowment that protected the wildlife and their habitats in the Olympic Peninsula. A "good investment," he called it.

It was June and school was ending. When the kids came home on the last day, a fresh sense of freedom permeated the house. Jasper seemed the most relieved. I knew that proximity to humans affected him the worse—even worse than me. I still preferred humans, but animals satiated my thirst just as well. Such still completely surprised all the Cullens.

I was reading a book in Carlisle's study when Alice raced into the room. She collected a few items from the shelves and raced out of the room. She repeated this twice before I asked what she was doing. I followed her to her and Jasper's room to see her packing large suitcases.

"Moving some where?" I asked.

"No! Family vacation!" she responded excitedly. "Carlisle contacted Eleazar in Alaska and we're going to spend a month up in Alaska with them."

I thought about the many stories I had heard about Eleazar, Carmen, Irina and the others. I shuddered when I thought of the fate of Sasha and the immortal child, Vasilii. Pushing that terrible story out of my mind I opened my mouth to speak again, but Alice raced out of the room again.

I walked down to the living room and saw that a dozen of suitcases had appeared. For being vampires, they didn't travel light.

"I agree," Edward said as he came down the stairs carrying yet another suitcase. "But I have lived with Alice, Rosalie, and Esme long enough to not comment about it openly."

"The suitcases?" Emmett said as he waltzed down the stairs. He knew exactly what I was thinking too. He was so smart. The sun was peaking in through the windows causing him to shimmer. He was stunning to behold. He slapped Edward's back and said, "Yeah right, little bro, I just saw the two suitcases in your room. So added to the one in your hand, we've got… count them… three! They're probably filled with three-fourths books, one-eighth sheet music, and the final eighth—cd's and clothes." Emmett was counting on his fingers. So cute.

"Well, I must have something to do to filter out the incessantly loud music," Edward said in annoyance.

"Eddie boy—you don't even ride with me!" Emmett placed his hand on his hot heart and pretended to be wounded. Wounded Adonis. Yum…

"Your music is so loud that I can hear it a mile away. And worse, I get to hear it twice. First, through your head when you sing the lyrics before they even come out of the speaker. Second, when the music _does_ come out of the speaker. I am not sure you can even call that whiny boy wounded heart _stuff_, music to begin with!"

"Don't forget about his girl power hour music," I added.

"Where the hell is all the hate coming from?" Emmett threw his hands up in surrender. "Besides, Logan, I know you love girl power hour!"

As Emmett and Edward continued their banter, I walked over to an open window and peered out into the spring rain. Crossing my arms, I stood there for about an hour as the Cullens whirled about their house. What about me? I was still unsure about meeting Eleazar. I was very aware of my abilities… and my weaknesses, but I didn't know if I wanted others to know as well. _Emmett was going_, I thought. Well, really I didn't think it because it didn't come from my brain; more like a "land down under" the belt to clear.

Rationality overtook me: _I guess I better clear out before they leave. _

I walked up to the kitchen where Esme was watching a _Rachel Ray_ cooking show. My giggle at the sight caused Esme to unglue herself from the television. "I think I'll heading out. It was really great meeting you and your family, Esme."

Esme looked perplexed. She shut the television off and walked around the breakfast island to stand in front of me. "What do you mean you are heading out? Where are you going?"

"Well, you and _your_ family are heading to Alaska soon and I'd feel really awkward staying at your house while you're all gone. Besides, what if the mailman delivers something here? I haven't seen nor smelled a human in weeks. I'd probably jump him right there and drain him dry."

"We have a post office box, so we do not get the mail here. It is a bit risky to have random people on the property who might causally see one of us jump from the second floor windows or balcony and land gracefully in a pair of pumps, do you not think so?" Esme pointed down at a pair of Alice-approved leather boots.

Alice flitted into the kitchen. "Yeah, you're not taking those pumps up to Alaska. I can't get you anymore because they are out of season and they look too good on you."

Esme chose to ignore Alice's comment, but eyed her down instead. A second later, Esme turned her eyes to me and said, "And besides, I know you would not drain a human dry any longer."

I was annoyed at Esme's presumption about my nature. I was a vampire after all. "I could easily drain one." I sounded rude, but her presumptuous comment was eating at me.

"Logan, I said, 'would not,' not could not. Remember what I said in woods on our hunting trip? It is our choices that define who we are. It is your choice not to drain a human that defines who you are. Have a little faith in yourself, son."

I said nothing and an awkward tension settled on the room. Son? She called me son. I felt close to the Cullens, but never to the degree I saw between two or more of the Cullens. I ignored Esme's last word and opened my mouth to speak.

"Do you want to come to Alaska with us?" Emmett asked. He heard the whole conversation from the other side of the house and decided to jump in.

I looked at Emmett, who entered the kitchen with the rest of the Cullens coming in behind him. His dimpled smile distracted me. _Of course I wanted to go._ I sputtered, "I didn't want to impede on your family vacation."

Esme opened her mouth to speak, but Emmett beat her to it. "Come on! You would be bored sitting in the house all by yourself for the next month. The only company you'd have is if a delivery man _did_ come to the door." He giggled a little. I wasn't impressed and my glare communicated the point.

Esme started to speak, but Jasper cut her off. "Yes, come. I looked into the grizzly bear situation where we'll be. The population is too large right now. The Denali National Park has allowed hunters into the park to weed some of the population out."

"Oh, yeah!" Emmett did a fist pump. "You've got to come. They're so much more fierce up there."

Esme looked perturbed. She looked off out the windows until everyone else had put their two cents in.

"Esme, care to join us in the conversation?" I queried.

Emmett opened his mouth to speak again, but not fast enough to dodge what happened next. I whipped my head to a kitchen cabinet and ripped a frying pan out with my telekinesis. I turned back to Emmett and before he could speak, I hit him square in the face. The pan rang out in a chorus and the room erupted in laughter. Jasper fell to the ground; he couldn't handle it. Everyone continued to laugh aside from Esme, and Emmett of course. I quickly stopped laughing and put my serious face on. The room quieted down. "Go on Esme. What is on your mind?"

"Dear, why don't you want to go to Alaska with us?" she calmly asked while simultaneously lacing every word with a thick layer of guilt.

"Um, well…" I couldn't really respond.

"Where would you go? What would you do?" she worried out loud.

"Esme, where are _you_ going with this? I'm not going to hunt humans! I mean, I will if I want to, but I don't want to."

"Logan, stop being obtuse. The thought of you leaving _this_ family breaks my dead heart. Most vampires we run into look at our eyes, judge us, and then run away. With you, you are far more human than you know. You didn't run. You investigated and sought us out. I find that to be an endearing trait."

"Esme is right," Carlisle chimed in. "We haven't discussed this with you, but Esme and I, and I hope the rest of the family agrees with us, want you to consider living with us for awhile. I know you were just visiting and learning about us, but we also got the opportunity to learn about you. You have a unique way of thinking about the way the vampire-world and the human-world intersect. I think that way of thinking and your personality would fit well with us."

I was confused by the speech. It took Emmett all of eight words to lay it out for me. "Logan, do you want to be a Cullen?"

"I know we can't replace your human family…" Esme qualified.

I stopped her there. "You're right. You can't replace my human family. You can't replace them because I know only love, friendship, and laughter here. To be like my human family, I would need to see bigotry, stoicism, and hatred." I looked into Esme's eyes and saw her soul. She was my real mother and this was my real family.

Edward, who was aware of my every thought, broke the silence that ensued after I spoke. "Logan, why don't you want to stay with us?"

I toiled with that question. The best I could think of was first, I had only known the Cullens for a few weeks; second, I didn't exactly feel guilty for killing humans unlike the Cullens; and third, I was still unsure about my ever-enlarging Emmett infatuation. Edward let out a small laugh after my last thought. I stared him down, challenging him to say anything.

Edward smiled. "Give it time, Logan; for all three reasons, that is. What I mean to say about the second reason is that guilt is a personal demon. I can vouch for every one of us when I tell you that each of us has his or her own set of personal demons. Just because most of us have a guilt complex when it comes to being a monster, does not mean that you have to as well. Just give us some of your time and you will understand. We all come from different backgrounds and we are the product of all our past decisions. We would not ostracize you for a personal decision like that."

"I'll go with you to Denali," was my overly simple response. Esme would've beaten me in a competition for best response, however. She gave me the biggest hug of my life. I silently thanked God that I was a vampire for I would have never met Esme or anyone else otherwise.

…

The trip north to Denali went by quickly. We only had to stop in order to refuel Emmett's Jeep and Edward's Volvo. Edward volunteered to drive his vehicle the entire way so as to avoid Emmett's musical selection. I really enjoyed it so I made sure to volunteer to sit in the front seat of the Jeep all the way up. Emmett chose the music while I chose the volume, preferring the higher setting than was necessary for our overly sensitive ears.

Eleazar, Carmen, Tanya, Irina, Kate were all nice enough. Tanya, having been rebuffed by Edward for the upteenth time, set her sights on me. Her flirtation went on for a week until Emmett, who appeared annoyed by the whole situation, told Tanya of my affliction towards vampires of the male variety.

"And we lose another one to your team!" Tanya groaned. What was strange about the interaction was the fact that Tanya was talking to Emmett when she said it.

Emmett was insistent that the whole family—Cullen and Denali—go hunting grizzly bears. It seemed like he had a score to settle every time he took one down. He didn't let them suffer by any means. He wasn't that cruel. On the latest trip, I asked Rosalie whether Emmett had a grudge against bears.

Rosalie laughed response. "Emmett is the easiest going person I have ever met. That is probably why Esme and Carlisle thought we would be such a good pair. He would be the ying to my yang." I felt nauseated at the thought of Rosalie's yang. I decided to believe it was the bear blood that was sloshing around inside of me instead.

Rosalie continued, "Seriously though, he is the most at ease being a vampire, aside from perhaps you, Logan. But I think that when he hunts grizzlies, he is taken back to his last human day in that forest. He asks the big 'what if?'"

"'What if's' are lame," I whispered as Emmett took down his third grizzly of the evening. I was impressed with Emmett's grace given that he was such a burly man.

When Emmett finished draining his catch, I yelled to him, "Hey! Save some for hunters! They probably paid good money for their licenses and we're as good as poachers."

"Nah, it's all good. I got thirty licenses before we crossed the border into the park," Emmett responded as he joined the rest of us. "The limit is three, but with ten alias, that's thirty. I'm legal. Are you?" He stared right into my eyes. He was serious.

"Yes, who will I get my license from? The Volturi Hunting Commission? I'm not exactly human," I joked.

"You live in a human world, Logan." Emmett responded curtly.

"I would care to debate that with a human," I challenged. I too was serious. Why was Emmett angry all of a sudden? I was a vampire and even if I'm testing out the Cullen diet, that doesn't mean I had any intention of being something, some species that I wasn't. I've already been a human and that blew up in my face.

"Hey Emmett, cool down," Edward called from across a ridge. "We better get out of here. I'm hearing human thoughts nearby."

Then, the smell hit me. The wind had changed direction and the potent smell of doe urine was all encompassing. Doe urine, or some commercial chemical that smelled like it, was the choice of hunters to avoid spooking their prey with their real human smell. This brand clearly wasn't tested on vampires as my brain quickly separated the knockoff from the human. I could smell the sweat and unbathed musk of two male hunters.

It made me thirsty.

"They're stalking some bears going in the opposite direction," Edward informed us.

"Why would they be doing this at night?" questioned Emmett. "Hunting at night isn't safe for humans!"

Edward strained his eyes into the nothingness that was the cool Alaska night, concentrating. "I don't think they're hunters—legal ones that is. … Oh my, they are after a mother bear that has two cubs, young cubs." Edward looked at Emmett, "They are close."

"How can they see in this pitch black," Jasper asked. "Night vision goggles?"

Edward nodded.

Alice gasped as she came out of a vision. Before she could say anything, Emmett was gone in a blur in the direction of the poachers.

"Edward, what is he doing?" I demanded.

"Emmett!" Edward yelled.

"QUIET!" Eleazar commanded in his Castilian accent. Nobody moved. "We can't kill them! It'll just bring more people up here to investigate. We have to stop Emmett."

Eleazar waited for Carlisle's decision. Fortunately, I wasn't a Cullen, just a guest, well, sort of. I took off into the night in the direction of Emmett. I didn't want anyone to die, but I also didn't want Emmett to have to deal with the emotional turmoil of killing a human. His conception of a good soul didn't involve killing humans any longer. I didn't have that qualm in my psyche though. If any human is going to die, it is going to be at my hand.

I ran steady for two miles. It took but a few seconds to catch up Emmett, who was hiding behind a large evergreen tree. I phased through a couple tree stumps to get to him faster. He saw me coming, but didn't move. I got in really close to him. The tree was barely wide enough for him let alone me.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" I implored.

"You heard Edward—cubs! They haven't even had a chance!" Emmett's eyes were crazed. We each heard the sound of a gunshot. I waited a cautious second, but I heard five distinct heartbeats. Two human, three bear. They missed. Emmett sighed.

"Listen, you don't have to kill them. We just need to spook the humans away," I suggested.

"NO! Poachers are not humans."

"Emmett," I whispered. I got real close to him. I took in his sweet scent and it was heavenly. I had never experienced such a heady, gratifying scent in my life. I coaxed myself out of his personal bubble and took a fresh breath of air. His scent was re-welded to my memory though. "Emmett, you can't kill them. They're humans no matter their crime. Let their system judge them."

I smiled.

"How can you smile at this!" Emmett roared. His muscles were trembling. I suspected his rage would explode any second. We heard a gun safety click off… His eyes widened and became dark as night. Blood lust was Emmett's driving force now.

"I got this!" I commanded. I threw my hand out beyond the tree and sensed the cold metallic gun no more than fifty yards from me. I pulled it to my hand through will of mind. "Get the other gun," I whispered. "I'll spook the humans."

"Where are you going with this?" Emmett asked raising his left eyebrow in the most adorable way. I guess his blood lust didn't take full control.

"Right to the Alaska State Trooper's office in Trapper Creek with sufficient evidence to get them convicted of poaching. Such is a high offense in Alaska if I'm not mistaken," I responded coolly.

"You're dangerous," Emmett responded quietly. He whipped around the tree and ran towards the gun-wielding poacher.

I dropped my newly acquired gun into the leaves and ran towards the other poacher. Emmett grabbed the gun out of his poacher, but not before he got another shot off towards the bears. I jumped in front of the bullet. Before I could react and dissolve the bullet, it blasted through my Carhart jacket and attempted to lodge itself in my back. Shit, that stung! The bullet bounced off my granite exterior and fell to the ground. My jacket was smoking.

Meanwhile, Emmett thrust both poachers to the ground hard. They landed with a thump and cries of shear terror. Emmett twisted the gun into a bowtie and then threw it back towards the other gun, our evidence pile.

The poachers tried to get up, but I whipped pass the poachers and tossed them down again. Emmett grabbed each of their coats and pulled them over their eyes, their night vision goggles getting tangled in their coat tails. Emmett then lifted each poacher by the foot and held them aloft.

I stopped in front of them. The smell of poacher's adrenaline and terror was as intoxicating as Emmett's scent.

_Human_, I thought. The image and feeling of real human blood running down my gullet nearly blinded me. I growled. Emmett realized my thoughts instantaneously and flung the poachers to the ground behind him. They landed with another thump and cry of fear. Emmett crouched in front of me, separating me from the poachers like he was defending his catch. The wind changed and a tsunami of his scent washed over me. It broke me out of my bloodlust and I blinked. I looked up into Emmett's now-golden eyes and said, "I'm fine."

"Good enough," Emmett said with a smile.

I walked over to the poachers who were trying to get their goggle-coat predicament under control. I raised my hands to each poacher and pinned them against the cold earth with my telekinesis. They screamed bloody murder as they tried to squirm out of my mental grip. I looked out into the distance and saw Carlisle and the others walking over. Emmett nodded his head as they rushed in.

"They should have an encampment nearby. See if you can dig up some evidence. Logan and I can stay and watch them," Emmett whispered below the hearing range of our prisoners.

Carlisle nodded. I could tell he wasn't pleased, but understood where Emmett was going with this. Carlisle and Edward were off in a flash, but back within five minutes. They had guns, cash, and all the necessary things a poacher would have—illegal traps, bait, et cetera. They also had two grizzly bear hides. Both of them were cubs. I looked into Emmett's eyes and they were pure fury. Emmett growled and the blinded poachers cowered.

"Emmett, go home. We'll make sure these _people_ are handed off to the authorities," Jasper said calmly and again, below the poacher's hearing range. Jasper was pumping out so much lethargy; I thought I'd fall asleep.

I grabbed Emmett's hand and pulled him along. We quickly let loose and ran through the forest back to the Denali's house. After entering, I dropped onto the couch. Emmett started to pace. I could sense the tension on him. "Emmett, what's up?"

"I should've ripped their heads off. They were cubs… cubs, Logan! You know, I was a cub once. I never had a chance either when a big old adult decided to maul me to death. I had never felt so helpless or fearful in my entire life. Even the burning of the change wasn't as bad. It was all that I could think of just now." Emmett raked his fingers through his hair. The stress just poured out of him. I didn't need be Jasper to know that much.

"Was this before or after we ran into the poachers? You seemed pretty preoccupied," I said.

"Coming up here has made me question a lot of things I know to be true. Or I mean, thought to be true. I'm not a deep person, Logan. You know that. I see a football game or pretty girl, and I can appreciate it. I mean, I could. I just don't know. The bears though. They're a constant reminder of the question of what would my life had been if Rosalie hadn't found me. Hadn't got Carlisle to change me. Hadn't…" Emmett took a breath, "saved me."

"You'd be dead," I said coldly. Emmett gave me a look of disbelief. "Emmett, I've known you for awhile now so I'm not going to sugar coat anything for you. I'm going to tell you the truth, always. Keeping it clear and simple should be attractive to you. You said you're not a deep person." The word attractive was awkward when it came out. I decided to wait until Emmett responded and hoped that he would break the obvious tension. He didn't. Great! I continued, "By the way, I think you are a deep person. The difference is you don't hide it in a tangled web of lies and omissions. Edward is a great example. I may not be able to read minds, but I know he toils with his own life, or the existence he calls it, every single day. He's fighting this never-ending battle with himself. You know: the monster vs. the human _that was_. He's deep too, but for him, he hides his battle scars. You don't. Emmett Cullen, you're a good soul. If you question your existence, you're only being, well, more human. Isn't that what your striving for anyways?"

"I don't want to be human, Logan. I lost that opportunity years before you were born. But I don't want to be a monster either. I've already experienced that."

My interest was peaked. "What do you mean 'experienced?'"

"Well," Emmett started, but cut himself off when the rest of the Denalis and Cullens returned. "Er, I'll tell you about it some other time."

"We dropped them off at the ranger station just outside the park," Carlisle said.

"When they saw the cub pelt, they knew instantly that they had poachers on their hands," Edward added. "They won't be harming anything like that again."

Carlisle approached me. His fury was apparent. "Logan, what you did was reckless. You could have exposed us and our cousins here in Denali."

I got up to respond, but Emmett jumped to my defense. "No, Carlisle, it was my fault. I lost it when I heard cubs were involved. It's not Logan's fault."

"I know that you lost control and that is why I am not concerned with your actions. Given the end result, the means have less consequences." Carlisle turned to me. "But you, Logan, you made the conscious decision to jump into a confrontation between a vampire and humans—to save animals. We do not get involved with human matters. It is a hard and fast rule. You are young to this life, but that does not give you an excuse."

I had to swallow the venom in my mouth. "Carlisle, I'm a vampire. I'm not a Cullen. The only _hard and fast rule_ that is even _regularly enforced_ is keeping the secret. I merely assisted Emmett in keeping the secret _without life being lost_. Don't mistake me for one of you. I'm not under your control." The silence in the room was heavy on my nerve. I was glad my head won over my instinctual push to crouch into a defensive posture in that moment. That would have escalated the interaction. "And honestly, if you disagree, I'd be happy to part company with your fine family. I don't wish to cause any more tension than already has been created."

"You can't leave." Emmett stepped towards me.

"I agree." Esme put her hand on my shoulder. "You can not leave. You are a part of this family, even if you do not wish to be a Cullen."

Carlisle grabbed Esme and pulled her into his side. He looked at me again with the same concerned eyes. "Esme is right and I should be a little more open with you about why I am so concerned. It is not really that got involved with those poachers, but what could have happened. I could not bear to see what would happen if the Volturi had to become involved."

Rosalie, Jasper, Alice, and Emmett all collectively expressed their confusion. I had to agree. "I have never met the Volturi."

Carlisle continued, "What this event has shown me is that you are willing to help your…" he smiled, "brother. But it also showed me the possibilities that could result from your actions. If the Volturi were to ever discover your talents, well, they would covet you and seek to have you join their ranks."

I broke the silence that overtook the room. "Carlisle, where is all this coming from?"

Carlisle hesitated.

"Alice had a vision albeit brief. It was clear though—you met the Volturi and they sought to have you join them." It was Edward who spoke this time.

I knew what he meant: It was common knowledge throughout the vampire world that the Volturi Guard wasn't full of willing volunteers. Slavery would be the best adjective for the Guard membership. I shuttered at the thought. Obey or die. The vampire that scared me the most was the one who could dissolve and create relationships and allegiances among vampires. Being told to do something was contrary to the freedom-loving nomad, which I considered myself to be. (Or used to consider.) That loss of control over myself was terrifying.

I turned to Carlisle and decided to avoid asking why the Cullens held Alice's vision back from me. "I'm sorry for misjudging you. I thought you sought to push your lifestyle on me. To control me." I hoped my tone of voice showed the apology I felt inside.

"Getting involved with humans is a sticky mess most of the time. We have all had our share of mishaps and thankfully, they have resolved out well for the family so far. I just do not want to tempt fate too many times," Carlisle cautioned.

"Again, Carlisle, I apologize, but I should have told you my plan from the get go. I knew Emmett was so enraged that he would have torn those poachers limb from limb." I looked to Emmett who nodded in agreement. I kept looking at Emmett and addressed him. "But Emmett, what you don't know is that after killing those people, you'd feel terrible. You'd be full of remorse and regret, and I didn't want that. I know you've had _mishaps_, as Carlisle calls them, so am I correct about the emotional aftermath you would face?"

Emmett gulped loudly in response.

I exhaled a small laugh. "You see, Emmett, you are deep."

I turned to Carlisle again. "I think the cliché goes, 'I would have taken one for the team.' I would've killed those humans in one _of their_ heartbeats. I knew that exposure wasn't an option and I also didn't want Emmett to have to be the one to do the deed. That's why I concocted the plan to involve police. If the plan failed, I would have taken care of those poachers and ensured that no one found their remains. I'm pretty good at that."

"That is why the vision changed so fast!" Alice shrieked. "I'm so sorry, Logan. We should've trusted you."

"What is done is done and we are wiser for it now. Time to count our blessings and move on," I advised.

"Sound advice," Esme added. Carlisle sighed and took me into a hug. A manly hug, but a hug nonetheless.

"I am proud of you," he whispered. "But what is this 'don't control me' bit?"

I whispered back. "I was changed at 18 so I think the inherent rebellious nature of a teenager is locked in for eternity. Sorry in advance."

"I'll lock that sorry up for a rainy day," he threw with a slight punch to my shoulder.


	4. Ch 4: Microscope

After my run in with the poachers, I decided to stick close to the Denali's house when I hunted. Esme was right about the temptation being ever present and it almost took two poacher's lives to realize that fact. Animal blood was delicious, but it took more effort to make it taste human than it would to just take down a human. The thought of less effort meant my appetite for humans was still alive and kicking.

Why did I even care?

I couldn't dwell on that question for long because Eleazar cornered me, figuratively speaking that is, and started to drill me about my abilities. What little information I gave fascinated him. He surmised a lot of what I could do without me telling him. Even I was coming to the conclusion that Eleazar too had a gift—the gift of knowing me better than myself. That kind of bothered me because I was a control freak.

"Logan, do you know how far your ability goes?" Eleazar's voice trilled. Carlisle was standing next to Eleazar, his eyes were wide with anticipation. He reminded me of a kid at Christmas.

I hesitated as I was still unsure how much I was willing to give out. All the things I have done thus far were never preplanned nor explained fully. Even when I explained my gift to the Cullens on the first day, I glossed over most of everything.

Edward sensed my hesitation and looked at me for permission to speak. I nodded. He sounded like my defense attorney when he spoke. "Eleazar, Logan is still getting to know the family. I don't think he's quiet comfortable being under a microscope."

_Thank you, Counselor Cullen_, I thought.

Carlisle jumped in. "I am sorry, Logan. I am sure Eleazar meant no disrespect. He can help you hone your talents so you can better control them and protect yourself."

Emmett was sitting on the couch pretending to read a book. A book? He looked hot reading a book. He looked up to see that I was staring and said, "Might as well tell them. They aren't going to leave you alone until you give them everything. It'll be okay, trust me."

Alice giggled. I could see she was having a vision. I chose to ignore whatever the giggle was about. Emmett looked annoyed.

_But Emmett had said trust. I trusted him. So, his trust in Carlisle and Eleazar was sufficient for me to trust them as well._ And with that little mental connect the dots, my hesitation was gone and the walls of confidentiality fell.

I waved Eleazar and Carlisle to follow me outside into a clearing not far from the Denali's home. As it turned out, their whole family—Cullen and Denali alike—followed. Great, a circus show and I was center ring!

I gave them examples of what I could do. With my mind, I uprooted a large tree from the ground and threw it across the clearing with ease, making sure the mass passed through me in the process. As I phased through the tree, the look of interest in Eleazar beamed with the intensity of a lighthouse. I finished my show by shattering the treet into a trillion pieces when it hit the ground. All that remained was a thin wind-swept dust.

Eleazar was still as a statue for a minute. "You're gift is powerful and multi-faceted. But I can see where your downside is. Would you like me to share it with you in private?"

That was disconcerting to say the least. He knew my downside? My weakness? I always prided myself in knowing everything about body and how I functioned—even my limits. It was a scientific curiosity almost. It drove my interest in the world around me. I also prided myself on knowing that nobody else knew where I could stop. Fear that I couldn't stop worked on so many occasions that I could almost lose count if I wasn't a vampire.

I looked to Emmett who gave me a reassuring smile. All was right in the world. _How the hell did he do that? And better question—why the hell do I keep looking for it?_

"Go ahead," I said to Eleazar. "Say your piece."

"Very well," he said back. "Logan, your ability is fueled by the control you exert. The more control you have, the more powerful you can become. The opposite is the same when you lack control and for vampires, that would be blood.

"Can I assume that the more you use your ability, the more blood you need to consume as a consequence?"

I nodded in agreement. Eleazar had just convinced me he was gifted as well.

He continued, "So the longer you go without blood, the harder it is to use your ability. Your body's appearance, for example, would more closely resemble a typical vampire."

"Blood red eyes and pasty white skin?" Rose's voice was incredulous.

I nodded again. "Would you like to see?"

Nobody said anything, but the anticipation coming from everyone save Emmett permeated the clearing. Emmett had already seen my pasty white exterior on the first day we met.

I found a spot of sunlight and bathed myself in it. Nothing but a glow reflected off my tan skin. Then, as if I flipped a light switch, I let the skin pigmentation disappear and my default skin turn on. It was opal white, like no color existed at all. I shimmered like diamonds too.

I let the pigment leave my eyes and I sought out a puddle on the ground. My blood red eyes stared back at me in the murky water.

Jasper approached and peered deep into my eyes. "I can't see any tinge of gold in your eyes. You haven't slaughtered any humans today, have you?"

I laughed. "Nope, not today. Just some grizzlies."

I flipped the switch again and felt my familiar hues return to me. This was my skin. The other skin and eyes were someone else's.

Eleazar continued to give a rundown of where my ability ended. All this I knew so I let my eyes drift to Emmett and kept them there. He kept his on me as well.

An eternity passed.

In the background, I heard Elezar continue to speak. He went on and on about how energy is never destroyed nor created, just transferred and how that rule applied to my ability and blood. Carlisle was equally involved in the conversation. Drawing out hypotheses and conclusion.

It was all gibberish on me. Emmett had smiled at me again. It was as if the world evaporated save he and I.

"Logan?" Emmett asked me. "… … … Logan?"

Emmett approached and tugged on my shoulder. Electricity shot from my arm to the pit of my soul and a hum overtook my ears. My pants got tight too. I shook my head and took stalk of my surroundings.

Eleazar and Carlisle were still talking amongst themselves with the rest of the family eagerly listening. Only Emmett was looking at me. He had a look of concern on his face. "What's going on?" he asked.

_I want to be with you for all eternity_, was the first thought out of my brain. I looked around Emmett's taut frame and sought out Edward's reaction. Damn, mind scanner. He had a crooked smile plastered on his face, but other than that he didn't react.

"Hello?" Emmett asked. "Are you okay?"

_Hell yes, I'm okay you studly stud man_. I coughed. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for asking."

Emmett said in his loud, booming voice, "Yeah, I think Logan is getting tired of the microscope. Time to talk about someone else." That was meant for everyone. I appreciated his protection of me more than he would ever know.

I thanked him silently.

_A/N: Slightly revised in January 2013._


	5. Ch 5: Let's Make This Official

Our vacation in Alaska was coming to a close. Carlisle and Esme left a week early because Carlisle couldn't any more time off from the hospital. He had to agree to work straight night shifts through November in order to get three weeks off. Each one of the Denalis had acquired a special place in my heart, and they each took their turn with me to say their goodbyes and well wishes. Afterward, Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, Edward, Emmett, and I jumped into the Jeep for the ride back to Forks. I laughed internally when I thought about how Edward would have to listen to Emmett's jams all the way back.

Imagine my utter disdain when Edward flew to the front passenger seat of the Jeep and popped a CD in. It was horrible in and of itself that I didn't get to sit next to Emmett, but the CD WAS DISCO!

"It was a good era, Logan. Enjoy it," Emmett commanded. I looked at the other vampires in the car and they were all enjoying the music far too much.

About an hour into the trip and the never-ending disco CD, I thought about blowing the car fuse for the speaker system.

"I wouldn't unless you want to walk home," Alice cautioned. Edward turned his head to me in the back and nodded in agreement.

Ugh! This was horrible. Edward must have planned this to get back at my enthusiasm for Emmett's other music selections. I knew I would somehow get revenge. Edward turned his head again and glared at me. I just shook my shoulders. I had to keep cool.

Jasper had told me before we left that ordinarily, it would take more than two days to get back to Forks. But with Alice and Edward, we wouldn't hit a police trap or random animal and therefore could put the pedal to the metal. The whole car laughed when I suggested naming Edward's ability, "the mind scanner."

He asked later whether his embarrassment was sufficient to quench my thirst for revenge. I responded with a laugh, "Come now Edward Cullen. Aren't we Cullen men tougher than that?"

Rosalie slapped me up side the head. "Yes, don't forget that Cullen women _are_ tougher than that!" Her statement earned another onslaught of laughter from me.

A little more than a day later, we arrived back in Forks. The men unpacked the bags while the women ran upstairs to tidy up. "No bags?" Jasper asked me. I shook my head no. "Um, you better not Alice get wind of your lack of options."

Alice whirled before me and gave a devilish smile. "I already have the wind of your lack of options. Just look at you!" I looked at myself. Fashion wasn't on my priority list and never had been. I definitely appreciated when others—human or otherwise would sport a good pair of jeans, but anymore than that seemed superfluous.

"Alice, don't you think you could go bother someone else about this?" I pleaded.

Rosalie walked down the stairs from the house and laughed an evil laugh. "Your laboratory awaits, Alice!"

Alice grabbed me by the hand and I looked at Jasper with fear. He smiled and said, "I've learned to just commit to the experience. Consider it yet another induction into the Cullen household."

"Fuck, this sucks!" I yelled as she pulled me around the corner into her and Jasper's bedroom. We passed the bedroom and went into the closet, which really wasn't a closet, but an enormous studio complete with a sewing machine, mannequins, glue guns, and the like. It was like someone ripped a Louis Vuitton store out of New York and threw it into this closet.

Alice went over and grabbed a tape measure and started to take measurements of me. "I know what you are thinking. Why take measurements? My eyes are perfect."

Rosalie sat down on a leather couch and pealed open a magazine. "Alice, you just like playing with your dolls."

I had to laugh.

Alice tugged at my clothes. "This isn't working. Strip!"

"I'm not stripping down in your closet," I replied.

Rosalie giggled slightly as I stared at Alice. Innocently, she said, "Jazz said to commit. That is all I'm going to say."

I hesitated and that was all it took for Alice to get her vampire fingers on my shirt and pants. With a less than subtle tearing sound, my clothes were no more. I stood there in my skivvies.

"Ah, boxer briefs. I can work with that," Alice said and tore those as well from my body.

Rosalie started laughing again and I could have torn Alice's face off. I refused to be embarrassed though, as I knew I had nothing to be embarrassed about. Thank you human genetics and the power of vampire venom!

"Like something you see Rosalie?" I quipped, putting my hands on my hips.

"Yes, I can see you are well… mannered, but no, I'm sad to say you don't touch my fancy. And I'm sure the feeling is mutual. I'm just enjoying Alice playing with her new doll. It takes the pressure off the rest of us." Rosalie was clearly enjoying this too much.

"Logan, you've been with us for months. You owe me and you owe this to yourself too!" Alice started to take _detailed_ measurements of my body.

"You are right Rose… she loves her new doll," I groaned.

Alice sighed. "Oh stop that. Besides, think at the prospects: Louis Vuitton, Fossil, Armani, and all in between. The world of fashion is at your fingertips."

I raised an eyebrow at Alice's last statement. "Alice, YOU AND I both know that it is YOUR fingertips. But I trust you. Make me look good."

Alice beamed at me. It made me uneasy. Had I made a fatal mistake giving her a free fashion pass?

Rosalie stared at me with incredulity. I turned to her and met her gaze. "What? Jasper told me to commit to the experience. At least I'll look good."

"Is that with or without clothes!" Emmett yelled in his booming voice. I heard his and two other male laughs and I froze. The closet door was open.

Still staring at Rosalie, I pursed my lips and asked, "Emmett, Jasper, and Edward?"

She nodded.

Alice went to the door to shoo the boys away, but I turned to face them. Putting my hands on my hips again I said, "Like what you see? You think you're so funny." As Alice pushed them through the door I saw Emmett turn around to fire off another witless joke. Before he could do so I flung the closet door in his face. With a loud crack I knew his nose just pierced the door on the other side.

Rosalie and Alice both started to laugh, as did I. I heard Emmett curse on the other side and walk away. It couldn't have hurt that bad.

"You owe me a door," Alice said.

"Well, you owe me a wardrobe so let's get this show on the road."

Alice trilled and threw me a robe. She went to the computer and started looking through the summer collections of Banana, Polo, and Burberry.

I went over to Rosalie and sat on the couch. She pulled her eyes out of the magazine and gave me a bizarre look.

"What?" I questioned.

She looked in the direction of the closet door and then glanced back at me. "Nothing. I could have sworn…"

"Don't waste your breath Rosalie. It isn't what you're thinking. I would have seen it," Alice interjected.

"Seen what exactly?" I was really interested.

"It'll have to wait until we are outside the range of prying ears," Rosalie advised.

"Okay, now I am really confused," I said in annoyance more than confusion.

...

A few hours flew by and I was starting to get bored. "Alice, as much as I love to sit here snug as a bug in a bathrobe, what will I do while waiting for my new clothes to be delivered?"

Alice gave a high-pitched squeal of delight as she whipped her credit card back into her purse and turned on her chair. "Don't worry, Logan, I got next day air. It all should be here by tomorrow."

"How much did you get?" I asked.

"Better not to ask," Rosalie answered.

"Alice?"

"Well, promise not to freak?" Alice asked. I nodded. "I ordered the entire summer collections from Louis Vuitton, Armani, Guess, Polo, H&M…"

"ALICE!" I stopped her. "A bit much, you think?"

Alice stomped her foot like a petulant child. "I thought you were committing?"

I groaned loudly and shook my head rapidly. "Fine. I'm committing. Thank you for the clothes, but that doesn't answer my original question. What will I do while waiting for my new clothes to arrive?"

"Oh lover, the clothes I already ordered are down in your room!" Alice said.

"You already ordered me clothes? What were you doing online the whole time? Ordering more?" I was in shock.

"Logan, you missed the second part," Rosalie said. I looked at her with confusion. "Where the clothes are located."

"My room," I said quietly.

Alice squealed again and grabbed my hand… again. She led me out of the closet and down the hall. "It was supposed be a surprise from Esme. That is why her and Carlisle went back early. They wanted to finish it and surprise you. Sorry for ruining the surprise. I do love surprises."

I was surprised. Alice opened a door to one of the rooms I knew to be vacant. Inside were all the Cullens. Carlisle must have come home from work and he stood there with Esme, Edward, Jasper, and Emmett. Alice, Rosalie, and I filtered into the room as well. Carlisle approached me and opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated. "Uh, Alice, you want to get Logan dressed. We need to discuss something."

I looked at my attire and was reminded of the bathrobe I was sporting.

Alice laughed and pulled me into the en suite bathroom and closet area. The closet was huge and it was already three-fourths full of brand new clothes. "I was right on the money with your measurements. Am I good or am I good?"

"Then, what was all that back there!" I pointed through the wall to Alice's closet.

"You had to commit to being doll today," Rosalie said through the door. "Now get dressed, we have to talk to you about something."

Alice ran her fingers through the clothes and I knew her visions were telling her the proper combination. It was a simple red v-cut shirt and faded, pre-ripped jeans. "Who would pay for pre-ripped jeans? Vampires are tough on clothes," I mused.

"You will only have the opportunity to wear them once anyways," I heard Edward say through the wall. I should've known. I threw my clothes on and came back out into the room.

"Much better," Alice said. "Carlisle, it is your show."

"Thank you, Alice," Carlisle whispered. He turned to me and smiled. "Logan, you have visited with us for awhile. You have accepted our lifestyle and even chose to abstain from human blood. Any other vampire would run to the hills, but you, you are different. You value life, but you also value being a vampire. That is a unique perspective and it is one I appreciate.

"Even before the incident with the poachers, I noticed what you were coming to mean to this family. But after the incident, after I saw that you were willing to kill for Emmett, I knew unequivocally what you are to us. You see, vampires do not understand family and that is why most come to see us as a coven first. You transcended that easy enough. You see us and in so doing, you have become one of us. What I am trying to say is, I, and the rest of the family, consider you one of us and ask that you do us the honor of becoming a Cullen, in name if nothing else. I have no fear that you would bring shame to our name, only honor.

"At the risk of being teased by my more rambunctious children for saying this, I have come to see you as a son. I hope that you have or will come to see me as a friend or even maybe a father. I don't want to push any relationship type on you however. I remember our little yelling match back in Denali. I will not try to control you nor will anyone in this family. We merely ask you to share your time with us so that we can become closer than we already are."

Carlisle finished and Esme came up to me and gave me a huge hug.

When she pulled out of it, I took a minute to look at each one of the Cullens. Silently, each one made their opinion known to me. I turned back to Carlisle. "You're right. I have come to see this coven as more than what other vampires label it. It is a family. It is a family that I _thought_ I had before. I thought wrong.

"The difference between your family and others is that the latter is forced into the situation by blood. Your family chooses to be a family and I think that means a lot. Someone once told me that we are defined by our choices. Well, I choose to be a Cullen. I won't change who I am, but I also know that none of you would force me anyways. So I guess you can call me Logan Cullen. I mean, if we are going to make it official." Esme ran over to me and pulled me into another hug. I heard her sob.

"Stop monopolizing the brother!" Jasper said and he took me into his own-version of a bear hug. "This means we can _officially_ terrorize you as the youngest brother. You know that right?"

"Watch out, Jasper." Rosalie shoved him out of the way to give me a hug. "He's got big sisters to protect him."

"I do not know what is worse," I said putting my finger to my cheek. "Being threatened by my older brother or being patronized by my older sister."

Edward laughed. "Well, when you make your decision, everyone will know because we'll find their head fused to the floor." The entire room save Jasper and Rosalie erupted in laughter.

"You wouldn't dare!" Rosalie shrieked.

"Most rules don't apply to little brothers," I said quickly. I gave Edward a hug. "Thanks for the thought, Edward. That would be a great method of revenge, but you're not immune either."

"Well, I am glad that I can read your mind then." Edward punched me in the arm.

"Yes well, that just means you will know what is going to happen to you one second earlier than the rest." I threw my own punch into his arm.

I looked over to Emmett who was very quiet. Soon enough though, he smiled his toothy grin and said, "I'm not going to say anything. I don't want to be an ostrich and have my head in some sand or a wall." I nodded and he approached me and took me into a bone-crushing hug. His sweet scent was a little too intoxicating for my own good in this moment so I expelled the entire delicious flavor. This relationship was going to be difficult I realized. How would it work? I got nervous. Emmett let me down from his arms and I turned to unruffle my clothes.

Carlisle smiled and walked over to the nightstand to pick up a small box. He handed it to me and I opened it to see a leather band with the Cullen crest on it. Emmett took the band from my hand and put it around left wrist, covering my half moon shaped scare—the place where the venom first entered my life. It was fitting that a crest of a family vampires was covering that scare.

"All the Cullen men have a leather band. All the women have a pendant. It is a symbol of what we have together and I wanted to make sure you had a part that," Carlisle proclaimed.

I smiled. "Wow, thank you, Carlisle."

I looked around at all the Cullens once more and saw the Cullen crest on every person. I lowered my face and smiled. _Family_, I thought. My thoughts could not help but go back to my first family. The difference between the two could not have been any greater. The definition of family was not in my first family. The Cullens before me exemplified the definition of family. They chose me; I chose them. Esme was right too. Our choices do define who and what we are. I was a son, a brother, and a friend. I felt protected. I felt protective. Most of all, I felt happy.


	6. Ch 6: First Day of School

After Carlisle gave me my leather cuff, my relationships with each of the Cullens deepened exponentially. The summer months slipped into the fall ones and I felt like I had known each Cullen for a lifetime. Given the amount of time we spent together, it wasn't hard to come to feel that way—we didn't have to sleep after all and what else would we do with our time?

In August, I was sad to see my Cullen brothers and sisters go off to school. Esme stayed home with me, however it was hard not to feel left out. Alice continued to restate her belief that I wouldn't bite a human, but I didn't trust myself quite yet. Proving myself to the Cullens had become an obsession and I wasn't about to risk failure until I was as positive as I could be about my limits and my control.

Esme was so supportive. She would take me out hunting every day, making sure to tempt me by hunting closer and closer to where we knew humans would be. Eventually, she took me on excursions to Port Angeles, Hoquiam, and Olympia with the goal of direct human contact. It seemed so foreign to shake a salesman's hand in the Sleep Number store or ask the Librarian how to use the card catalog. Before I met the Cullens, these actions were merely a pretense to a meal. Now, it was a pretense for a different façade.

I felt guilty about testing myself with real live humans, but Esme was quick to remind me that there were no other substitutes and to have faith in myself. I knew she had faith in me, which was powerful in and of itself.

I had been testing myself for four months and by late October, I made the decision to enroll in Forks High School. It was good timing too as the town gossip had focused on the fourth Cullen boy that had been seen in and around Forks, but wasn't at the school. Town gossip wasn't healthy for my family or the town.

Enrolling in Forks High School was of little difficulty. The school was eager to have another student so that they had a claim to more state funding. To make the transition into school, and into the human world for that matter, easier, Esme and Carlisle officially took me in as a foster child. Apparently, they had an acquaintance that handled all their counterfeit documents that needed to be generated. Mr. Jenks seemed nice enough to me when I met him in Seattle, but he had a serious high blood pressure problem. Jasper told me that he made it his personal mission to give Jenks a healthy dose of fear whenever we were involved in his business. Jasper said it would make Jenks less likely to sell us out.

Officially, I would be known as Logan Dominic Middleton. It would be easier to say that I was foster child if I didn't have the Cullen name. Logan Dominic Middleton was my human name, so it was fitting that I got to use it again when I re-entered the human world. Jasper was hesitant to use that name at first, but when I assured him that no one was looking for me, he seemed okay with it. I would start as a junior along with Alice, Jasper, and Edward. Emmett and Rosalie were playing the part of seniors. Esme went ahead and picked out classes for me while making sure that I would have at least one class with each of my "siblings." I would be taking Geometry, English, American History, and Spanish before lunch and later would take Biology, Gym, and have a free period in the afternoon. If school was going to be as boring as Edward let on, I was definitely going to use that free period for some sort of playful mayhem.

With the formalities out of the way, by the night before my first day, I had become a bundle of jittery nerves. Alice was confident that I would not have a slip up and accidentally kill someone. Emmett chuckled at the thought. What a bastard! Rationally, I knew Alice would keep a good look out, but it did little to allay my fears in the here and now. It struck me as odd how these fears would have been of little consequence to me before I met the Cullens. How much I had changed in just a few short months, and for a vampire, that was saying a whole hell of a lot.

I spent most of the night before my first day getting caught up in all my classes. It was a month into school, but I was able to not only catch up, but also read about a month ahead in all my classes. I could remember ever word on ever page. I could even remember what page every word was on. I can see why the others were so bored. I would probably finish the high school curriculum by the end of the week.

I had headphones blaring music into my ears in an attempt to avoid the sounds of the sexual escapades going on throughout the house. The headphones weren't really helping. Before I knew it, the clock showed 5 AM and Carlisle, obviously satiated with my "mother" (ew), came into my room. "Logan, I think we need to talk about your cover story for school. We go over one every time we move to a new place." I nodded to him as he sat on my bed. "As you know, for all intents and purposes, you are our foster child so I would stick to that as your official story. You moved in with us from Seattle and your previous placement was less than spectacular. You are hoping for a fresh start." He smiled.

"So many truths in such a big lie," I replied with a grin. "I think I'll enjoy being in on a secret. High school, from what I can remember, is full of secrets and while secrets don't _make_ friends, friends _make_ secrets."

Carlisle was perplexed. "In all my years I have never heard that one."

Across the house, Jasper piped up. "Come now Carlisle, you must catch up with the times! High schoolers are so hip now."

"That is what you said in the 1960s!" Carlisle muttered.

"That was a different type of hip," Rosalie said from the garage. This whole conversation was like they were all in the room, all speaking with an inside voice. I loved being a vampire. I just didn't understand why Edward hated himself so much. It was my mission to terminate his brooding.

"Good luck!" Edward said.

_Ugh!_ I thought.

"I appreciate the," Edward hesitated and I saw his head pop in through my door, "thought."

I laughed at the pun. Carlisle looked perplexed again. Esme, Alice, Jasper, and Rosalie joined Edward, Carlisle, and I in my room, perching themselves on the windowsill, or on the couch on the far side of the room. For being a being that didn't need the comfort of sitting or even moving around to stretch, these vampires did show "the need" quite well. I made a mental note to observe the body movements of the students today. I would need to emulate them.

We all started to chat about the day to come. Carlisle had to work a double shift at the hospital so we wouldn't see him well into the evening. After school, I planned to go hunting. I was still worried about the temptation to slice into a human at school and was unwilling to just rely on Alice's foresight.

Absent from the conversation was the boisterous voice of Emmett. Where was he?

Over the past few months, I had come to know where everyone was by not only sound, but also behavior. Emmett was never one to be left out of a family get together. Anytime we were all together, Emmett was right in the middle of it all, trying to make a fool of himself or make someone laugh, more times than not, both. And Emmett's scent was easiest to distinguish because it called to me so loudly. My loins stiffened a little. I looked quickly around to Edward to see any reaction. He didn't change from his playful banter with Alice probably out of respect for me. I would have to talk to Edward about this situation. It was awkward enough as it was, but I'm sure it was awkward for Edward to have to share my _dirty_ thoughts. Edward nodded at me. Ignoring that line of mental conversation, I faced everyone and asked where the boisterious brother was.

"I don't know, my dear," Esme replied with a smile. "But look at the clock, you have to get ready for your first day!" Esme was glowing. The fact that her and my relationship was developing into a true mother-son one only made her glow brighter in maternal happiness. Before she could continue, a small frame with pixie hair jumped in front of me.

"She's right! We have to get you dressed and all gussied up! No brother of mine will be going like this!" Alice commanded. I looked down at the old University of Washington shirt I had found and agreed.

I jumped into the shower to get the possibility of the cougar and deer I drained the day prior off. The hot water felt good on my frozen body. Before I could really enjoy the shower, I heard a repetitive knock on the door. Alice was becoming impatient. Over the water I heard her foot start to tap as well. "Alice, if you don't stop tapping the foot, I'm going to go in the UW gear!" The tap stopped and then I heard a very large rip! Oh hell no! I shut off the water and wrapped a towel around my waist. I popped my head out of the door to see Alice holding two pieces of a once one-pieced shirt. It wasn't my UW shirt.

"You think I'd rip up a perfectly good UW shirt? You know that I am a two time graduate, don't you!" Alice said with a matter-of-fact tone. She passed by me and started to thumb through the clothes in my my closet. She laughed in glee and I realized she _saw_ what outfit I was to wear. Alice ran like the wind through my room throwing the outfit onto my bed. "DO NOT WRINKLE ANYTHING AS YOU GET IT ON!" Alice was so touchy about fashion.

_Carefully_, I donned my pre-worn out blue jeans, a gray long-sleeved shirt, and a blue thermal vest. Completing the outfit was a pair of tan workman's boots. I looked like a cross between a construction worker and an Abercrombie model. That was probably the fashion statement that Alice was going for too.

"Alice, this all kind of tight," I whined tugging at each layer as I put it on.

"Yes, well, it is tight in _all_ the right places," she said clearly knowing something I didn't. I moved to the full-length mirror to see the whole package. I did look good and I had to admit that I did see what she meant by _all the right places_ too. My muscles were well accentuated. I didn't even need to flex my biceps for them to pop; same with my pecs—even through the vest.

_Damn, I look good!_ I turned around. _Oh geez, my ass even looks good!_ I heard Edward gag down stairs. _But Eddie, I do!_ I joked. I looked around the room for the menace that was Alice, but saw that I was alone in my room. Rosalie walked into my room and replaced the void. She was all ready and was stunning as ever. She had a gigantic bottle of hair gel in her hand and a big smile plastered on her face.

My face showed my fear. Rosalie rolled her eyes and quietly said, "There are two things my brothers will never leave the house without: first, a Rosalie-approved vehicle; second, Rosalie-approved hair."

"What about Edward's hair?" I asked.

"Lost cause," Rosalie quipped.

I smiled and sat in my desk chair. Rosalie was fast becoming one of my favorite siblings. She had a mothering instinct like Esme, but her temper and vanity were refreshing. There seemed to be two competing parts to her on every level. Best example: she was the family car mechanic and she was styling my hair now.

"I trust you Rosalie, but the gel is unnecessary. You just form my hair and _I'll make it stick._ Make me look good!" I said.

"You already do, Logan. I'm just giving you the finishing touches." She winked at me. Alice came back into my room and sat cross-legged on my bed to watch Rosalie's artwork. I smelled where Alice had been. Jasper's scent was on her. Without turning, I opened my mouth to speak, but Rosalie cut me off with a sigh. "You get used to it, Logan. Just give it a decade or two."

I used my ability to hold my hair in position based Rosalie's careful molding. I could feel the slight pressure in my temple. Every molecule of my hair was under my complete control. The experience was surreal for me, and on a level only Edward _might_ understand. A few minutes later, I sat up with the perfect faux hawk. I thanked Rosalie for not empting the bottle of gel into my hair. It looked like the fashionable didn't-put-product-in-my-hair look notwithstanding the fact that there _was_ _no_ product in my hair. I don't know how a faux hawk was supposed to look natural, but I wasn't about to argue with anyone. I looked good.

"Well, I would not want those good looks to go to waste, Logan!" Edward entered my room. "We better get going. Don't want to be late for _your_ first day." The disdain in his voice was all too apparent. I was sure that I would hate high school as much after a few decades of it.

Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, Edward, and I all walked down the stairs to go to the garage. Esme was in the living room, beaming of course. We looked like the Brady Bunch and in many ways we were. Where was Emmett though? I would be damned if he wasn't going to enjoy high school with the rest of us! Edward giggled… like a schoolgirl.

Jasper turned to Edward and asked, "Care to share with the rest of the class?"

Edward cleared his throat. That was a no.

As we started to walk towards the garage, Esme ran to my side and gave me an Esme-quality hug. I winced a little from her painful squeeze. "Now dear, have a good day. This is the first day of the rest of your life. Enjoy it!" I smiled at her. Carlisle was at her side and gave me a hug too.

"Thanks, Carlisle, for everything."

Carlisle quickly nodded his head. I touched Esme's shoulder to show my goodbye and my love. Yes, my love. I loved these two and it was the first time I felt like I could express it. I didn't even have to say it. I heard Edward snap his fingers, showing his impatience. For someone who didn't want to go to school at all, he didn't want to be late. The moment ruined, I turned from my parents and followed the troupe out the door into the garage.

Edward and Rosalie jumped into Edward's Volvo while Jasper and Alice got into Emmett's Jeep. Where was Emmett? I was pretty sure he was needed for the whole "we're human" façade to succeed. I went to open the door to Volvo's back seat, but Edward locked the doors.

Rosalie opened her window. "You're not riding with us."

I felt like I wasn't a member of the cool crowd or something. She smiled at my confused face and pointed at the garage door. Edward clicked the button on the garage opener and the door slowly slid open to the sight of the hulking Emmett.

He looked good; so incredibly good. His eyes blasted up and down on me. He was gawking. His smile was what got me for sure. It was so bright that I was sure the others would start to sparkle because he was radiating sunshine. I needed to keep my own concentration or I would start to sparkle. Or worse, have blood red eyes and pasty-white skin. Trying to focus on reality, I shook my head a bit and when I returned to view Emmett, I noticed he was sitting on a shiny blue car.

I walked out of the garage and approached Emmett. I tried to gather some composure in front of the Adonis before me and said, "So I assume I'm riding with you then?"

He smiled again and I about melted. "Actually, I'm riding with you." He handed me the keys to the shiny blue car behind him. "It's a gift from all of us."

Before I could organize my thoughts and argue that I didn't deserve it and they were too kind to me already, Alice's voice rang in my ears. "LOGAN! Don't waste your time arguing. It's yours!" I turned to her and gave an unsure look. I saw Jasper, Alice, and Edward smiling.

Rosalie popped her head out of the window. "I spent the last month tinkering with it. It's a beast now!" She raised her eyebrow a bit and slid back into the Volvo. My eyes caught the two figures I knew to be Carlisle and Esme in an upstairs window. They were smiling too. This was the perfect conspiracy.

I turned around to take it all in. The best part of the new royal blue Ford Mustang with a white racing stripe down the middle was Emmett's figure standing right in front of it. Oh, geez, I really need to talk to Edward about these feelings. Emmett slapped my shoulder to get me to take the keys. Before I could say it, Emmett popped a driver's license into my hands.

I heard Jasper murmur, "you are welcome." I smiled at the thought of Mr. Jenks having to take muscle relaxers for the amount of fear Jasper instilled in him. The Volvo and Jeep sprung to life and were out of the garage with the utmost haste.

"Logan, come meet your new baby." Emmett pointed to the driver's side while he got into the passenger side. He would be riding with me. My dead heart fluttered as I whizzed around the car. I threw the keys into the ignition and heard the baby purr. As a vampire, I felt the need for speed. As vampire with the ability to alter the molecules around me, I felt the need to feel my baby. I could smell the gas going through the car to the engine and then out the exhaust, but I could also feel the liquid moving and turning into a gas. I could easily turn that gas into a solid and stop up my whole system. That could be a good prank _on someone else's car_ _that though_. I turned the headlights on to cut threw the morning fog. I didn't need the light to see, but rather I turned them on to bask in electrons flying through the air. I could feel the tingling sensation as they were either absorbed or bounced off the trees and the landscaping. Only the colors the people "see" is the color bounced off, but I could see all the colors. Emmett cleared his throat. I came back to reality and turned to him.

"Was this your idea?" I was hopeful that it was. His scent was mixed in with the new car smell. Both molecules were delicious. I didn't dare open the windows now, but later perhaps I would need to vent the cabin if I became to distracted while on the road.

"Rosalie suggested it back when you decided to stay with us," he revealed. I was a bit crushed until he said, "But the model and design, that was all me. I think it sums you up quite well." Yep, a supernova exploded in me. I felt light as air. I thought I'd fly away, but I let gravity catch me again. I got to drive to school in my flashy new car with _Emmett_.

"Aw, thanks Em! This is so great! This is me, right here." I pointed to the car. I admired the instrument panel and the GPS while Emmett turned on the satellite radio. He actually preprogrammed the stations. Fingering through them, all my favorite songs came over the Bose sound system. Excellent. I buckled my seatbelt and looked at Emmett to do so too. When he didn't, I flicked my hand and grabbed the belt with my mind. I made sure to make it real snug. Emmett looked annoyed, but I didn't care. I jacked the manual transmission into gear and sped off down the drive.

Turning onto the main road into Forks, Emmett pulled out his phone. I knew he got a text from Alice owing to the familiar _I'm gonna party like it's 1999_ verse. Emmett turned to me and said, "Alice said you are free to gun it into town. Chief Swan is on the other side of town." I didn't need to be told twice. Even with the fog, I could see the road and the surroundings clear as day. And besides, even if we hit something, I knew I could phase us through the thing with little difficultly.

I turned to Emmett who was playing around with the GPS system. I slapped his hand. "Mine," I said playfully. He laughed his awfully wonderful laugh. I smelled the scent of grizzly bear on his breath. My pants tightened again and I lost focus for a moment. Shaking my head, I saw Emmett was playing with my GPS AGAIN! "Didn't you hear me?" I stammered and this time I grabbed his hand and held it down to the center console. My strength didn't surpass Emmett's by any means, but he didn't move his hand at all. Perhaps he didn't dare damage the fresh leather for fear of the wrath of Rosalie. Things got a little awkward then. We were practically holding hands.

My dead heart fluttered again. I thanked God that it didn't beat because I knew, after hearing the bodies of the humans I had encountered, that it was easy to know what a human was thinking. I didn't need Edward's gift to know when a girl was swooning or a guy was dreaming about Emmett or any of the others. I growled a little when I thought about another person—girl or guy thinking about Emmett in that way.

"Whoa, killer!" Emmett broke me out of my trance. "I'm sorry, I won't touch the goods again."

I let go of Emmett's hand and smacked him in the gut. The backside of my hand ran across his tight abs and for a nanosecond I wanted to caress them. Thankfully, rationality took over and I pulled my hand back. Emmett quickly defused any tension in the car by laughing at my vain attempt to injury him.

I gunned the car and shifted into sixth gear. Taking a hairpin corner at 125 mph would scare even the most experienced racecar drivers, but I knew I could negotiate the turn with ease. Emmett and I both had the ultimate insurance policy anyways owing to the fact that we were indestructible. The Forks city limit sign flew by and I hit the brakes. Racing into town at that speed wouldn't do much to achieve our goal of a low profile. I wasn't sure how driving into town with a brand new Mustang with a racing stripe promoted a low profile, but I wasn't one to argue with Emmett or anyone on that point.

Turning into the student parking lot, I saw that the others had already arrived and were sitting in their respective vehicles. They had left one parking space open between them. I approached the spot and saw most of the other students turn and stare. I would hate to be Edward on days when a new kid started. I'm sure all the questions about who he was, what sport does he play, is he a dork or a jock just blew his mind up with useless chatter.

Emmett saw the stares too. "Logan, you're the new play thing. Your ability to look like them mixed with your vampire hotness will make you the most popular kid in school." He scoffed quite loudly.

Did he just call me hot? I pulled the car into the spot and shut off the ignition. "Are you jealous?" I asked. "Afraid I'll leave you in the dust?" It was his turn to give me a swift punch into the chest. It should've hurt, but I was just focused on how close his hand got to my heart. It again, fluttered. Crap. It was my turn to defuse the tension that I was sure only I was feeling. "Did you say I was hot?" Oh, jeez. Way to NOT defuse the tension, Logan!

"Yes, yes I did. And I will be jealous if you do leave me! On the other hand, it might help our street cred in this town if we show that some Cullens aren't outcasts." He was being funny and serious at the same time. That didn't help the tension. I couldn't tell what he was saying to me. The point must have been made to Emmett because of his next statement. "Logan, you know that our appearances and smell make us godly beautiful to the humans. If you make regular friends here, it will stop any questions about us."

I turned to him. "I will gladly 'up' your street cred." That earned me another smack. Oh jeez. Maybe I was becoming masochistic? To a vampire, maybe that was normal. I wondered how much Edward would be willing to talk to me about later. I turned my head to see him in the Volvo.

He mouthed the words, "Not that much."

_Fair enough_, I thought.

I put my hand on the door handle and said, "Time to give the humans their shiny new play thing."

Emmett laughed yet again and got out of my baby. I took a second to breath a useless breath and then got out of the car too.

The interest in the air was almost palpable. I walked the few steps to stand by my brothers and sisters. From my position, I could see the whole parking lot. Everyone was peering in our direction. Many were facing other directions or trying to keep a conversation going with whomever they were with, but I could tell they were looking over at us.

Emmett bumped me with his shoulder and I turned to him. "They are looking at you." He winked.

Putting Emmett's wink in a locked box and throwing away the key, I thought for a minute about what the best way would be to peak the human's interest. I chuckled in my head when I came up with the perfect idea. I waited for my brothers and sisters, it was refreshing to my soul to call them that now, to start towards the stairs to the high school. Intentionally, I was the last to move. I turned to the group of onlookers and gave a quick, for a human at least, glance over the crowd. In that moment I gave the most uninterested face I could think of. Not mean, but uninterested. The uninterested teenager was the coolest one of them all. The jock, the nerd, and everything in between paled in comparison to the uninterested teenager. Probably because it was supposed to mean I was deep and mysterious. The second part, I knew I wanted to maintain, but deep? I don't think I'm very deep. Perhaps that was Emmett rubbing off on me. I turned from the group and walked seductively, as only a vampire knows, towards the stairs.

Reaching the top of the stairs, I bumped into my first human, literally knocking him down. He looked disheveled with his books laid out on the ground.

Emmett turned around and winked.

_Ugh, stop winking at me!_ I yelled in my head, but Emmett and the others kept walking.

I bent down to help the human pick up his stuff. It was the least that I could do. After getting himself organized, he stuck his hand out. "You're the new kid right? Logan?"

Astounded he already knew my name, I took his hand in my own. I warmed it on the heater in the Mustang before I got out. (Jasper taught me that trick!) "I've been here for about five minutes so how do you know my name?" I smiled my infectious vampire smile while bearing my diamond-sharp pearly white teeth.

"I'm on the school newspaper. It's my job to know everyone and everything. You're news! Can I get your picture?" Boy, was he scrappy.

He started to fumble in his backpack, but I stopped him and said, "But I don't even know your name?" I smiled again.

"Oh, yeah, sorry, I'm Eric Yorkie," he responded with a return smile.

My smile was going to be an awesome weapon I decided.

"How about we get to know each other a before you put me in the news? I'll come find you at lunch." My voice sounded like the matter was already set in stone. I put my hand on his shoulder and nodded for encouragement. He returned the nod and I walked away.

After stopping in at the principal's office to get my schedule, I met up with Alice at our first class—Geometry. I secured a seat next to her and the teacher started her lecture. I was unsure who was more bored in that hour—Alice, the teacher, or I. Alice, because she's probably been through this exact lecture three dozen times. The teacher, because she seemed to be a dried up old prune that didn't realize that her teaching style put three-fourths of the students to sleep. (The percentage would be higher if Alice or I COULD sleep!) I was bored too, but mostly because I had read the Geometry book past the topic of this lecture. It amazed me how the teacher didn't add anything that the book didn't already cover. Maybe it was just my vampire mind that allowed me to see past the words and formulas as written and figure out the different combinations and variables? It was like my brain taught itself from the initial guidance of the textbook. I prayed that all my other classes weren't going to be this unbearable.

I had English with Jasper and Edward next. At least there I could be creative. I walked into the class and approached the teacher. As I handed him my office note and he said, "Logan, I got your books right here. You can sit over there." He pointed to a vacant chair that was the farthest spot from Jasper and Edward. I glanced over to them.

"It will be fine, Logan," Jasper whispered at a lower volume than what humans could hear. He was thinking about my thirst. I could tell he suffered from it too; probably worse than me.

Come to think about it, I hadn't thought about my thirst in like two hours. Score! A new record.

Edward rolled his eyes.

"Would you prefer I drain the human sitting next to you so as to secure a seat next to you?" I murmured as I took my seat. Edward tilted his head forward and gave me a "Dad-esque" look. Edward needed to joke around a bit more. As far as being a vampire goes, you could either cry about it… like Edward or laugh about it… uh, like Emmett. A smile creped across my face involuntarily.

Jasper lent back to Edward to whisper to him. Edward smile eclipsed mine. What did Jasper say! I glared at Jasper. No response. _Ugh!_

After getting myself all settled I turned to see Edward and Jasper facing the teacher. Edward slowly mouthed, "I think that you would drain a human to sit by Emmett."

A brick wall hit me! Edward not only just joked but he sent me through the wringer! I turned to Jasper who was snickering.

"It is hard to keep secrets when your brother can hear your thoughts and your wife can see the future," Jasper quipped ever so softly. "Besides, I can _feel_ your emotions!"

I don't know if I was more embarrassed that Edward just said what he said or that Jasper was able to feel all the _lust_ coming off my skin. Yuck! This whole sibling-knows-your-darkest-sexual-desire thing bordered on insanity. Ew! I tried to settle into my seat and start working on an impromptu writing assignment but I couldn't concentrate. The word "future" stuck in my head. What did that mean? Alice's visions always change, but she has been awful sure of herself lately. I took a pen out to start drafting a sentence. As I put the pen to paper, horror ran across my face. My hand was stark white. I pulled my sleeves over my hands as far as they would go.

I glanced at Edward to see his concerned face. He mouthed, "Logan, your eyes!"

I glanced over at the windows to see stark, blood orange eyes staring at me in the face. I held my head down close to the paper. To anyone in the room, I looked as if I was being a diligent student. To Jasper and Edward, I was about to blow _our_ cover.

My hands started to shake as fear crept up my back. Would I have to kill everyone in this room to keep the secret? No! These people are innocent. I felt my bloodlust turn _on_. Oh, shit! I needed to find control.

I looked in the direction of Edward and Jasper. Jasper mouthed a single word, "strength."

My mind raced. I had to find the strength to control myself; the strength not to fall into the temptation that my basic nature called for. No, I would find the strength. I reminded myself that my family hasn't had a slip up since I'd been with them. I would not slip up for them. I searched my memories: Alice, Edward, Rosalie, Esme, Carlisle, Jasper… Emmett. Emmett was so strong, so elegant, such a grand killer. I thought of the scent of the grizzly bear on him. Emmett was powerful and confident. I would be that too. Thank you, Emmett. I replayed the events of my life over the past months. I could feel my muscles contracting and the tension in my temples. My skin cells were reorienting to the proper pigment. The eyes were going to be hard. I pushed my concentration to the limit. Would I lose the Cullens if I lost control? I about lost it there.

"We wouldn't leave you," Edward murmured.

That was all I needed. The confidence in Edward's voice brought me back. I felt my eyes turn the deep blue I willed them to be. I turned to Edward and Jasper and managed a smile. Jasper nodded and Edward turned his gaze to his writing assignment. I looked at the clock—HOW HAD ONLY THREE MINUTES PASSED! There were at least another seventeen minutes to this assignment.

I would have to focus on this assignment now, which so small compared to what was about to happen not a few moments before. But what to write about? The teacher said anything. I almost killed an entire classroom to prevent a secret getting out and I was stumped as to what to write about! Edward murmured once more, "Writer's block happens to me all the time. When you have eternity to contemplate everything, deciding on a single topic is rather difficult." I smiled. I just found my topic. Even if I did have eternity, I knew a single topic right here and now that I could focus on.

"Family," I said. A wave of contentment ran over me. Jasper was feeling my emotions too and was returning the favor. "Thanks, Jasp."

Fortunately, the rest of the morning shot by at a vampire's pace. I had History with Edward and Spanish with Emmett.

Spanish with Emmett was wonderful. I knew all the words, but not the pronunciation. That was rectified once the teacher spoke about five words. My vampire brain took over from there. I turned to Emmett and whispered, "I assume you are more fluent than the teacher." He nodded. "Well, I expect to practice with you and become as fluent by the end of the week!" He smiled. My internal fireworks went off in a burst of pure joy. I smiled back.

After Spanish ended, I stalked off to find Alice. She was at her locker with Rosalie. I was about beat down my sister for not seeing my almost massacre and preventing it. She just beamed at me. "You were always going to bring yourself back," she said.

I raised my eyebrow and screamed, "How can you know that, my decision changed a hundred times in a three minute span of time!"

People were starting to stare.

Rosalie smacked me in the shoulder. That brought me back to reality. Alice's smile never faulted. She continued, "Logan, Edward decided that we would never leave you if you did have a mishap today. In fact, he and Jasper planned to pull the drapes on the windows and slit everyone's throat if you made the first move. Consider three vampires in a classroom with 30 or so humans? Easy as pie."

I was awestruck. I so owed those two. They were truly my brothers.

We started to walk and soon entered the cafeteria. I looked around for Jasper or Edward. They were both sitting in a corner near the window. Edward nodded at me. Jasper raised his eyebrow. That was all the communication we needed.

Remembering my promise to Emmett about street cred and my "lunch date" with Eric, I excused myself from Alice and Rosalie and searched out Eric by scent. He was sitting with a bunch of people. _Well Logan, time to make the rounds!_ I thought. I approached Eric and asked him to introduce everyone. I met Angela, Lauren, Jessica, and Mike Newton. Shaking Newton's hand was awkward mostly because he gave me a strange look.

The look was like him telling me, "I should fear you, but I can't figure out why." If you only knew, Mr. Newton!

They all started to interview me like I was trying to get a job. "Where are you from?" "What is your favorite music?" "Why are you in Forks?" The Forks question was the biggest. They were a bit surprised I told them I was a foster kid.

"Wait, so you're like, supposed to be like a problem child, right?" Jessica's tack was lacking. Angela went to chide Jessica for her comment, but I stopped her.

I smiled my pearly whites and heard both Jessica and Angela's heart skip a beat. Damn, that smile was a good weapon! "Let's just say my 'problems," I did hand quotes, "are well managed thanks to my foster family." I glanced over to Cullen table. Emmett joined them and I really wanted to go over there. It just felt so natural to be among them because I knew we all shared a secret.

Eric jumped into the conversation again. "Yeah, who is your foster family? They must be pretty loaded to let you drive that Mustang out in the parking lot! What a sweet ride!"

I turned my body to Eric. I was honestly surprised by his comment. "You mean the rumor mill hasn't filtered through who I was staying with?"

Newton said, "I was focused on your car when you came in. I didn't see who you were with." Angela's heart skipped another beat. I knew why she didn't know either. She was focused on me. If she only knew that not only her human quality took her off my radar, but also the gender quality, she would be heart broken.

Jessica asked the collective's question again, "So uh, who are you living with?"

Before I could answer, I heard the approach of an unfamiliar person. I turned around to see an adult I recognized from a teaching staff photo to be the Forks High School Principal. "Mr. Middleton, it is very nice to meet you." He put out his hand to shake mine. "I'm Mr. McGaw, school principal. Welcome to Forks." I shook his hand and gave him a nod. He continued, "I see you found a group of good young people to be around so I shouldn't expect any disruption?"

This dude was an ass. He probably saw my foster status on my school records and assumed that I would cause problems. Well, I would have in English, but that aside, what an ass.

"No disruption, sir," I responded. I wanted to put him in his place, his human place. It was obvious to me that as a vampire, arrogance towards humans as a lesser species was difficult to avoid. I decided a minor shot across his bow would be needed. It would also set the record straight regarding what family I belonged to. _Belong_, I thought again. It felt good to think that.

I got up and turned straight to look into douche bag McGee's face. I smiled with full teeth and tilted my head and said with the utmost sarcasm, in front of the whole table and probably the whole cafeteria who was watching the principal and my interaction, "Actually, Mr. McGaw, I do have to correct you on my name. It's Cullen. Logan Cullen. Middleton was my old name. I'm sure my Mother, Esme Cullen, has expressed to the administration the change in the name."

There was huge intrigue in the cafeteria. Honestly though, how couldn't you know? I remembered my skin and eyes. I didn't look like a Cullen. But, I was determined to be one. I took a quick glance around the cafeteria. The conversations didn't stop, but the atmosphere changed immensely. Edward's brain was probably going haywire.

I looked back at the principal and before he could respond, I turned to Eric and the rest of the group. "Eric, that interview is going to have to wait. I have to see what my brothers and sisters are doing."

I got my things and walked over to the Cool Kids Table, the Cullen table. I sat down and grabbed an orange off Emmett's plate and began to rip the rind off. Mr. McGaw turned on his heel and stomped out of the cafeteria. Clearly, he didn't like being corrected. I made a mental note to correct him whenever I saw him. Emmett just rolled his eyes.

"You probably don't want to make an enemy of the principal," Jasper cautioned. The smirk that came along with that statement put me at ease though.

Rosalie perked up then. "You're going to have to deal with him for another whole year."

I turned my head to Rosalie and with the most serious face I said, "Not if he's dead. I can make people disappear you know." I looked at the fork on Jasper tray and willed it to disintegrate.

Emmett's laughter bellowed across the cafeteria.

"Touché… Houdini," Rosalie responded.

I balled my fists and pointed my thumbs back at me. "Houdini has got nothing on me, babe."

Gym rolled around and I knew it was going to be interesting. I wore the school-sponsored uniform and Emmett, Edward, Alice, and I looked like we about to start at army boot camp. Knowing that I would very easily outperform even the best army ranger, Gym was going to be a test in holding myself back. In all of my second life, I have always wanted to go fast (e.g. my beauty's 125 mph run into town) or to test my strength. Here in the human Gym, keeping up the façade was all too important. I would follow the lead of the other three.

The gym teacher, Mr. Olsen, placed us into rows and columns to do warm ups. I stared at him while he had us do stretches and jumping jacks. It was all too apparent he suffered from small man syndrome in his youth. I could see the last vestiges of real muscle in his biceps, but his gut and thighs were his downfall. He looked rather portly now. I thanked God for insuring my body never changed its form even if I turned into a glutton. Well, glutton of animal blood. I heard Edward start to giggle. Giggle!

_Okay, Edwardina!_

Mr. Olsen gave us the option to either play Volleyball or lift weights. Before I could move to converse with the others, Mr. Olsen pulled me aside to see whether I'd consider joining the football team. "Yeah, we're only a third into the season and you look like you're in top shape! We could use another wide receiver! I bet your Dad likes to throw the old pig skin around with ya." He slapped my back. This man was too chummy for my tastes.

"Well, Mr. Olsen…" I started

He interrupted me. "Call me Coach, son!"

I wanted to say, "you're not my daddy," but that wouldn't be received well. So instead I created a fake medical condition. "Um, sorry Coach, but I can't do high impact sports. I have asthma and football would probably throw me into a fit."

His temple throbbed and he squinted his already beady eyes at me. "Are you sure you aren't biological related to the rest of them Cullens? You all have an asthma condition! Shame though. You would've been good! Are you sure you can't!"

I shook my head. Olsen didn't say one word more to me. He turned on his heal to yell at some girls who were texting on their phones instead of doing laps around the gym.

"What a douche," I said under my breath. Alice, Edward, and Emmett walked up behind me and Emmett smacked me in the back.

"You got that right," he said. "The man hasn't talked to me since the first day we started at this god forsaken school. He did his 'call me coach' routine and when he found out I had chronic bronchitis, he was done with me."

Weighing our options between Volleyball and weights, we decided that weights would be less conspicuous. "I think Emmett's competitive nature would be our downfall on the Volleyball court," I joked.

"Don't worry, Logan. You are right. I already saw it." Alice pointed to her temple.

Edward giggled again.

"Edward, this giggling is getting out of hand!" I commented. "People are going to think you're gay!"

We stopped at the weight room door. "Excuse me Logan, I believe that is your department," Edward teased. I sort of walked into that.

I rolled my eyes. I could remember what it was like "to be outed" in my first life all too well. But as a vampire, I knew that I could rip the throat out of anyone who bothered to utter a slur or attempt to bash me. I smiled and joked, "Are you sure Edward? Are you interested?"

"Well, _I _am not interested," Edward retorted with too much meaning in the "_I_" part. I think I need to purchase another vampire brain so that an elephant sized lockbox would fit inside. My personal lockbox was full to the brim. But I chose not to address the matter with Edward, until later.

"Agreed," Edward responded.

"Huh?" Emmett asked. He had been standing there the whole time. Poor Emmett. I realized that he was all too frequently left out of the loop.

Meanwhile, Alice was just beaming.

"MOVE!" A deep voice came from behind me. I turned around to see a jock that I recognized to be Nate Farling from my Geometry class. He was a senior and full to the brim with either steroids or arrogance, probably both. Edward snickered. Nate turned to Edward and got right into his face. Nate sneered. "Something funny dumbass!"

Edward could have ended Nate right there before he uttered one more word. I was impressed with Edward's control.

"We're sorry, Nate. Here, go right through." I moved out of the way and motioned to the door.

"Fucking yeah you're sorry fucking retard!" Nate yelled. Okay, this guy was overdosing on BOTH steroids and arrogance today! Maybe add a dose of stupidity too.

Edward turned to Emmett and whispered in the best Carlisle-grade command, "NO!"

Nate was glaring at me and didn't notice Edward and Emmett's interaction. Nate just stared right into my blue eyes. I wouldn't lose control over this douche bag. Nate started to walk through us towards the door, but as he passed me he quickly, for a human that is, turned to shove me into the lockers. In the nanosecond that I realized this, I knew I would have to "take the fall." If I really wanted to I could plant my feet and he'd be shoving a brick wall. But alas, his sweaty palms made contact with my chest and I pushed off the ground to give the best-acted bully-on-bullied scene. I bumped into the lockers and stared at him. There was no physical pain, but my pride was bruised. I was fuming. _Maintain control, Logan!_ I could feel the monster inside me growing in strength. I bowed my head and kept eye contact with Nate. I was about to bear my teeth when I saw Emmett over Nate's shoulder.

Emmett mouthed one word, "No." He had regained control himself.

That was all I needed. Emmett shut my monster down instantaneously. I raised my head and raised myself off the lockers. Nate moved past Emmett, pushed Alice out of the way, and opened the door. The shoving of Alice was the last straw. I mouthed a good old "fuck you" to him and Nate stopped. He pivoted on his heels and got right in my face. My control wasn't going to waver, but I wasn't going to let this douche bag get away with messing with Edward or Alice. I didn't consider myself to be the family guardian, but today, that was my role—even if it was against a weakling like this steroid-induced asshole.

"You fucking Cullens think your shit doesn't stink!" Nate raged. This was a rerun of the worst high school drama ever! "And now we have a new fucking Cullen!" He pointed his finger in my face.

I had a small thought to just bite it off, but smiled instead. Aw, shit…

"Something fucking funny, Cullen!" Nate called me Cullen and I lifted off like a rocket.

Edward smiled, enjoying Nate's oral rage and my mental musings.

"We'll see how you'll smile once I broke your two front teeth with my fist." Nate shook both of his clenched fists in front of me.

I tried to imagine what a full blow would really feel like to my vampire face. I didn't know, but when I came back from my thought Nate was still raging.

"Yeah, you and me… after school… in the trees right off campus. We don't need the teachers getting in our way! Do we fucker?" He shoved me against the lockers again. Now I knew I deserved a Best Actor award for dual scenes! Nate turned again and walked into the weight room. The door closed.

"When I said to enhance our street cred, I didn't mean by a street fight!" Emmett said as he put his hands on his hips. I smiled. Emmett always knew how to defuse the tension.

I turned to Alice and Edward and they were both in another world. I knew one was seeing into the future while the other was listening in. They both looked like they were trying to hear a sound that was nonexistent. Before they could say anything, I opened my mouth.

"First, I'm going to meet him. Second, I'm not going to kill him or otherwise force _our_ family into exile from Forks."

"I like the '_our_' part," Emmett said. I looked back at him with a smile.

Edward was worried. I had to reassure him. "Edward—trust me." I gave him the deepest look. "You have to have faith in me." I knew I had him by the word "faith."

"Alice?" Edward questioned.

"I can see the outcome. It became clearer when Logan decided he'd go. Nate is more of a mystery. Nate isn't sure he'll go solely because he thinks Logan is too 'chicken shit' to show up." Alice did quotes with her hand.

I wasn't chicken shit at all and I was in the trees as soon as the last bell rang. Nate had obviously told everyone he knew about how he was going to beat me up on my first day so two dozen students surrounded me.

It was in that moment that I decided to be a little creative. As Nate and a posse of his jock friends approached me, I turned to Emmett. "Please tell me Nate plays on the football team."

Emmett was confused, but responded, "Uh yeah, he's the quarterback."

"Ahhh, a quarterback is so dependent on that throwing arm," I quipped to Emmett's wide eyes.

"Hey pussy! Stop conferencing with your boyfriend and let's get this show on the road," Nate announced. This was a show to him and the students were his audience. Little did he know, I was the director of this show. Nate ripped his coat and shirt off and gave it to some girl. He gave her a sloppy kiss and turned to me. I had to admit he was good looking. His abs, pecs, and biceps bulged. Emmett's were better… and they were all natural. I smiled at that lost thought.

"Something funny, fairy?" Nate approached me. "Come on you fool! Let's fight." He continued to try to intimidate me. I walked into the center of the circle that the audience had formed. I didn't look like I was primed for a fight. Also, I was a few inches shorter and my biceps didn't quite bulge like his _even_ if I did take my shirt off. I raised my eyebrow at him incredulously. He got right into my face. I could smell his sweat and adrenaline. It was disgusting, and enticing all at the same moment. _Blood_. I wanted to gag, bite, or otherwise move away, but he had to make the first move. I stood there with our faces mere inches away.

"Alright Cullen, this is your wake up call of your place here in Forks, you fucking," I knew what Nate was going to say before him probably… "faggot!"

My eyes lit up in a pure red haze. My eyes had just switched! Nate was too busy throwing his first punch to notice, but I had to be quick. First, I had to get my control back. Second, I had fuck him up, royally. This would be fun… I felt my eyes cool down and I glanced at a water droplet that was dangling from some tree bark. The reflection told me that my ocean blue eyes were back. I turned back to Nate. He was pushing his fist as fast as he could towards my teeth. He probably imagined stringing them on a necklace for his ugly girlfriend. A war trophy? Before his fist was even close, I crouched to my knees and all of the following happened in a manner of four seconds…

Nate's fist flew past where my head was previously. I could sense his surprise when his fist kept moving forward causing his balance to go off kilter. He stumbled forward a foot, but he was about to regain his composure. I didn't wait for him to get there however. I balled my left fist as Nate stumbled past my right side. I swiped, at a human's strengh, but at a vampire's speed, at Nate's ankles. Making contact I successfully tripped Nate face first into the wet pine needles. As Nate was falling to the ground, I fisted my right hand and ever so gently, so as to not puncture his internal organs, I punched him in the stomach. He fell upon the ground, gasping for air. My plan worked perfectly so far.

_Let's see how far I can take Nate's show._

I got up from my crouch and jumped on Nate's back. It was warm despite the coldness of the forest floor.

_What I wouldn't do to be on Emmett's back instead… Where are all these sexual thoughts coming from!_

I dug my knees into Nate's shoulder blades and willed his skin to stick to the earth like glue. I felt the pull in my temple, and I knew Nate was stuck good-and-tight. He struggled a lot, but was effectively paralyzed.

_Now, which one of his arms was his throwing arm? _I remembered back to Geometry. I was bored as all belief, but I remembered a brief glimpse of his left hand moving a pencil on paper. Bingo! I grabbed his left wrist and pulled his arm up my side. He yelled in anger as I touched him. His anger quickly turned into pain as I ranked the arm a bit further than was comfortable for his shoulder.

I bent down to his ear. "All I have to do is push." I moved his arm a bit further until he whined in agony. "Fuck with me again and we'll revisit this encounter. There, I won't hesitate to pop it right out of your socket." I moved his arm again, he yelled in pain. "Your football career would be over and then what would you have?" I sounded so vindictive. The point was made.

Time sped up to it's normal pace then. I looked around at the audience; my audience. Nate's football friends were scared. I don't think they were scared of me, which would be their mistake, but rather the thought of losing the rest of the football season because the quarterback couldn't throw. My family was astounded. I noticed that Jasper and Rosalie had arrived. I imagined Jasper's reaction to the events just now unfolding and what he would have done. I paused slightly to review my crystal clear memory of the encounter. Yep, no inhuman actions, but given my size compared to the douche bag below me, I decided I'd have to start a rumor that I was a black belt in karate. I heard Edward laugh.

I got off Nate and backed off. He got off the ground and touched his shoulder. He winced a bit. His rage was gone with the reality of what I could have done. I suggested that he better get his shoulder looked at. I turned from Nate and started walking towards the student parking lot. I didn't look back. This encounter was over and I wasn't going to let it start up again. I could hear the whispers of the audience a hundred feet behind me. The rumor mill would be running full force tomorrow at school. Maybe Jasper could release a dam of lethargy among the students tomorrow—dampen their enthusiasm perhaps.

"I don't think a dozen Jaspers could stop the gossip train tomorrow," Edward said. I would have to lie low for a few days. Edward continued, "You could start by not correcting the Principal."


	7. Ch 7: Bigotry and Honesty

I should have known that Carlisle would have found out about my less than street-brawl with Nate because it was none other than a Dr. Carlisle Cullen that treated Nate for his hurt shoulder. "You are lucky he did not have a broken shoulder! You could have really hurt him," Carlisle said.

"It could've been worse, Carlisle. He could be dead," Emmett said with a laugh. Underneath that jovial smile, I could sense that Emmett was defending me too. We were all sitting in the living room when Carlisle stormed through the door after working the afternoon shift at the hospital. We could have had popcorn at this movie premier of Carlisle getting mad. Alice told me that Carlisle never loses his cool. I guess I was a two-fer: once in Alaska and once right here.

"Nate didn't say who messed up his shoulder, did he?" I inquired.

"No. Nor would the boys that came in with him to the ER tell me what happened or who happened to do it to Nate," Carlisle said in a huff as he sat next to his wife. Esme kissed his cheek and Carlisle visibly relaxed.

"Let me guess, you smelled me all over him?" I knew that had been the answer.

Jasper started to laugh at the sexual connotation that ran with my question. The mood in the room lightened until I saw that Carlisle was still fuming.

"I saw everything once Logan decided to go to the trees," Alice added. She pointed to me. "Once he made his decision to meet Nate, the future became clear. If Logan didn't go, it would have meant more bullying on him. NOW that is attention we don't want. I'm sure Logan would snap eventually and understandably so. This way, Nate and his cronies won't bother him again."

"And besides, if they do, Logan will just snap Nate's shoulder off like he promised," Emmett threw out over yet another guffaw.

I had to stifle a laugh myself.

Carlisle started up again. "It is just that you have only just starting abstaining from human blood. There is so much temptation there. I do not know if sending you there was the best idea." Carlisle looked perplexed and worried. That wasn't a good combination.

"Yeah sure, the temptation is there. It will always be there, Carlisle!" I said. "But I can't be a prisoner here and if I go into town with you all, people will ask who that school-age kid was that doesn't go to school."

"Never a prisoner, Logan. We could say you're being home schooled?" Esme suggested.

"I would love to spend more time with you too, Esme, but I didn't come to live in this family to be a stay-at-home vampire." I didn't want to hurt Esme's feelings. I also didn't want to be a prisoner.

"Could we all be home schooled then?" Emmett asked.

Edward's eyebrow perked at the thought.

"I think the disappearance of the all the Cullen children would give us more attention than less. Humans know we aren't normal already, but we don't need to give them more reasons to talk about us," Jasper said.

Edward's face visibly darkened.

"Look, Carlisle, I'm sorry for what happened at school, but I have to ask you what I asked Edward right before it happened. Can you have a little faith in me? If Edward or Alice for that matter didn't have faith in me or the foresight," I winked at Alice, "then do you really think THEY would have let me go to the woods?" I had boxed Carlisle in. After spending only a half-year with the Cullens, I was acutely aware of _how_ everyone's inter-relationships existed. The ironclad trust was implicit. There wasn't a need for it to be expressed or otherwise evidenced. I needed that trust with Carlisle.

"Logan is right Carlisle," Edward said. "Have faith in our newest Cullen."

"I do," Carlisle defended.

"Then show it. Trust him," Emmett said.

"It will be fine dear. No one was hurt," Esme said. "Well, no one that didn't deserve what they got." I was a bit shocked. We all were. After looking around at all our looks of incredulity, Esme had to explain herself. "If I am correct in replaying of the events, Logan only initiated the fisticuff after Nate shoved Alice. Carlisle, Logan was defending Alice's honor. You of all men, should understand chivalry."

"Et tu, Esme!" Emmett said. I laughed. I looked at Carlisle. Even he smiled.

The group began to disperse to engage in their separate endeavors. Edward opened his grand piano and began to tinker with a new sonata. I heard the garage door open and knew instantly that Rosalie was going be tuning up my Mustang for the rest of the night. I would have to learn how to do that myself. It was my baby after all. I noticed that both couples—Carlisle and Esme, and Alice and Jasper—excused themselves upstairs for some quality alone time. Emmett and I gagged at the same time when we realized what they were going to do.

"Yuck," I said.

"Yeah, but you get used to it after a few decades. I've always promised retribution when I find my mate and boy am I going to give it to them," Emmett replied.

"As I'm sure you'll give it to your girl as well," I babbled under my breath.

"Hey, you want to go hunting? I saw on the news that the mountain lion population in Idaho is getting out of hand. You know, needing some weeding out of the excess population!" Emmett alternated raising and lowering his eyebrows. He was being adorable. Like he ever wasn't.

I was still feeling sloshy from the last time I hunted. I could always drink more blood, but I couldn't get rid the feeling that I was a boat on rough seas whenever I would walk. Swaying to one side would cause a rush to that side. Very disconcerting. I walked over to the Jasper-Emmett chess set battlefield and picked up a piece.

"Do you want me to teach you?" Emmett asked taking the piece out of my hand. His fingers lingered on mine and I felt jolt of electricity shoot through my finger. I rubbed my hands together to get the feeling out of me.

"Yeah, but can we do it some where else? I can hear my father, mother, brother, AND sister entering coital bliss." I heard all movement cease in the house. "Yeah, I hope Jasper enjoys that connotation."

Emmett grabbed a bag and threw the board and pieces into it.

"Rosalie, want to learn how to play chess?" Emmett asked as we walked through the garage. She poked her head out from underneath the hood of my baby. She rolled her eyes and went back to her wrenching. Emmett bumped my side. "I've been trying to get her to play for fifty years."

"Give it another fifty years before you ask me to play that stupid game again," Rosalie spat.

"Don't be a hater," Emmett replied as we walked out onto the driveway.

"I don't think being a modern hater applies to a game that is older than Carlisle," Rosalie said.

Over Rose's voice, I heard more coital bliss occurring.

"Ew," I said and looked at Emmett. "Yeah, let's go."

We ran through the woods, cities, and fields going east for about six hundred miles. I felt us getting higher and knew that we were entering the Rocky Mountains. I called out to Emmett to see whether we were close. A few more miles and I saw that Emmett was approaching a rock outcropping looking over the forest below. With little effort I hopped up the one hundred foot edifice and saw Emmett unpacking his chess set.

Upon seeing Emmett carefully arrange his board, I had to comment, "For being a man's man Emmett, one who likes football, wrestling, and any other contact sport, being a chess guru was the last type of person I thought you would be."

"There are many types of person in me, Logan. You just haven't experienced them all yet." Emmett replied.

"Yet?" I said with a little laugh.

Emmett raised his eyebrows. "Huh?"

I avoided the awkwardness in the air and asked Emmett to teach me the basic rules and moves. The game seemed simple enough, but once we played our first game and Emmett killed me, I realized this game was a lot more complex: a perfect distraction for a vampire mind.

As we played our third game, Emmett asked, "So what did you do after you left your sire?"

I moved my rook and took out Emmett's bishop. "You mean after I killed him?" I looked up at Emmett and it was my turn to raise my brow. "I'm not going to sugar coat what I did Emmett. The thing was a monster."

"You're a monster too, Logan. You have said that too," Emmett stated.

"The difference between me and that asshole was the asshole created me. Once I came out of my newborn stage and was able to think coherently, I wasn't about to thank him with a huge hug and kiss."

Emmett looked perplexed. "So you're not happy you're a vampire? I thought that you were."

"Oh, I love being a vampire. It allows me these extraordinary powers," I moved my queen with my mind, "and it also allowed me to get revenge… against, the person for whom was the reason I was in that hospital bed _alone_ and _unprotected_." I looked up from the chessboard again and into Emmett's face. He seemed perplexed for only a second.

It dawned on him soon enough. He swallowed deep. "You're dad?"

I nodded slowly. "Yeah."

"You said 'revenge' though? Revenge on who, you're sire?" Emmett asked, his interest in the topic unabated by the gore and pain that the story likely entailed.

"Killing my sire wasn't revenge. He was an idiot and his antics would have probably captured the concern of the Volturi. I wasn't about to sit by and attract the Guard. No, my sire's penchant for hospitals was too public."

"Then what did you do to your father?" Emmett stopped playing.

I stopped playing too. "Before I met you Cullens I thought family was a fickle thing. Do one wrong thing and you're out. With my father, it was telling him who you really were. When I first told you the story of how he left, I didn't tell you that when he left me, that wasn't the last time I actually saw him."

"Wha?…" Emmett was stunned.

"Let me take you back, four years ago."

_I was traveling around the Midwest, feeding and discovering my abilities. They were powerful, but back then I couldn't control them as well as I do now. I was a nomad, running from Minneapolis, to Omaha, to Salt Lake City. Feeding in metropolitan areas was and is so much easier given the riffraff that exist there. Don't mistake me for a selective killer like Edward, but if I could help it, I wouldn't take out children or the elderly. A drug dealer was an easier hit because no one would question why a drug dealer would disappear._

_I was on my way west towards Colorado for the first time. I had left Omaha and was in western Nebraska. I saw an advertisement for a business in Wexford. My hometown. It was a tiny town whose hey day was before the Dust Bowl of your era, Emmett. It was evening when I arrived and absolutely nothing had changed. There were no new stores or houses. The school was still there. The hospital, where I was changed, was still there. I had to see if my old house and even my parents were still there too._

_I walked down my street for the first time in years and like the rest of the town, nothing had changed. Seeing no lights on in the house, I walked onto the porch. I turned the door handle and the door popped right open. People don't lock their doors in rural Nebraska you see. I knew instantly my mom and dad were asleep. I heard two slow heartbeats coming from their room. I could see through the walls of family photos, hunting trophies, and the gun rack to see them slumbering away. The house smelled exactly how I remembered it. The memories flooded back into me of the good and bad times in this house. _

_I looked around the living room and focused on the photos on the wall. Many were different from what I could remember. None of them were of me. It was like I didn't exist on the wall of my parents' life. There were pictures of my grandparents, and my father's two brothers, my uncles. All of them had long ago passed away. Heart disease was very common in my family. There were pictures of my parents' wedding and other events. Nothing was of me. Even the events that I KNEW I was at, there were no pictures of me. My parents had erased me from their lives. I had to know why._

_I left and waited until morning to return. I had to get my father alone. I had to know. My mom left early for work leaving my dad reading the paper and sipping his coffee. I didn't bother to knock on the door. This was my home after all. The door creaked as I opened it._

"_Honey? Did you forget something?" my father asked as he came around the corner from the kitchen. The whites of his eyes exploded when he saw me sitting on the couch. I looked the exactly the same as I had right before my attack minus the bandages and broken bones, of course._

"_Hey, dad," I said._

"_Logan, wha…" my father stuttered. "What are ya doing here?"_

"_This is my home, right?" I asked sarcastically. I got up from the couch and walked towards him. I heard his heart rate speed up. I was pleased that he was fearful of me. I ghosted around him and entered the kitchen. _

"_Er, you didn't answer my question! How did you get in?" he asked perplexed._

"_Since when did you start locking the doors?" I responded coolly._

"_Uh, right. So how long are you staying?"_

"_Just passing through. I wanted to see how you and Momma were doing." It was a half-truth, but like I was going to tell him that since he left me to die, I actually did. I felt at my chest, hoping to feel any semblance of movement from heart. It was cold and silent. Yep, dead._

"_So are ya still a faggot?" my father asked poignantly. There was no subtlety, no premise, or hiding of the ball with him._

"_Does my response determine whether I'm allowed to stay?" I asked with even more sarcasm._

"_Now, Logan, you know what the Bible says!" My father got up and grabbed his copy of the Bible from his chair in the living room. "Laviticus…" he began to read._

"_Dad, I know what it says, but I also know there are bigger evils in the world. Ones you don't even know or can conceive of. So why can't you let this go and love your son again?" I tried to reason with him. What he didn't know was that I was also the bigger evil._

"_So you're still a fag… I think that if anything I taught you, being a man is someone who takes responsibility for his actions. Now if you can just pray enough, I know you'll see a woman as you should." He wasn't trying to reason with me. He was being spiteful. He had once told me that a real man doesn't cry. He told me that, as he was beating me with the metal buckle of his belt. It always made the best whip._

"_Is me being who you want me to be necessary to be your son?" I asked. "Will you put up pictures again of me when I tell you what you want to hear?" _

"_What I want to hear is that you are making the right choice; the choice to live within God's tenets. I can see you haven't made the choice to live in the light. So no, you are no son of mine. No son of mine is a faggot." His words cut my soul into shreds. I thought of killing him for that, but I couldn't… he was STILL my father._

"_So being a faggot stops you from caring about where I have been. Didn't you ask any questions about the night you left me in the hospital! The night with all those murders! Where I WAS!" _

"_Well, erm, Logan, when they didn't find a body, the police just assumed you ran away. Of course I told them why we weren't there. They seemed satisfied with the answer! Why wouldn't you be?"_

_I couldn't sit down any longer or I would have destroyed the chair. In fact, I didn't even remember sitting. This man was so horrible! I shook uncontrollably. I looked into the eyes of my father and saw his unconceivable conviction. _

"_Dad, the murders occurred in MY ROOM! How could you have thought I ran away? THERE WERE SO MANY!" I blasted out. I knew what really happened, Emmett, but I had to know if he even had a morsel of remorse for not being there for me. Maybe even a little regret NOW! Emmett, there was nothing. And finally, my father said the last words of his life…_

_My father walked to the sink to put away his empty coffee cup. With his back turned to me my father said in the most calm and sure voice I had ever had the misfortune of hearing, "I'm aware the murders happened in that hospital room, but if you were to die, it was because of your sins. You didn't die so that means God has given you a second chance." _

_With his back still to me, I raised my hand and grabbed him by neck with my mind. He struggled to yell or scream, but I blocked his lung paths. I whipped him around and saw the tears streaming down his face. I saw my blood red eyes in the reflection off of his eyes. He sweated profusely and I could feel the adrenaline pumping into overdrive. He mouthed the words, "Who are you?" but I wouldn't let him mutter a sound._

"_God has given me a chance. To rid the world of a person like you. A person who would no more express a hint of regret over the thought of his own son's life being taken. TAKEN!" I yelled. The house shook. I knew my powers were causing it, but I didn't care. This man. This monster had to be ended. "And now I take your life like my life was taken from me. I'm not talking about that murderer who came to my room to drain my blood from me, but the murderer in front of me, the man who took my life and shattered it."_

_I looked at my father as he wept. "Stupid human. So inefficient. One little torn artery or separated spinal cord and the whole body will go limp." I snapped my fingers and felt his aorta explode. My father gasped for air and I dropped him to the ground. He clutched his heart and I laughed a terrible laugh._

"_I should thank you, Daddio, if you hadn't left me, I probably wouldn't be here right now. So really, your death is your own undoing." He gasped for air again, but there wasn't anything he could do. I saw him try to grab at the phone, but I held the receiver down with my finger. He slipped to the floor again and held his chest. His rhythm was erratic and slowing rapidly. Finally, I heard the last beat and my father's head fell to the ceramic tile. It landed with an unnatural crack. He closed his eyes and that was the last time I saw the eyes of that terrible man. _

I was thankful that Emmett let me get the whole story out. It actually was the first time I ever had told someone the whole thing. The first time I've come clean about what I did. I looked into Emmett's eyes looking for a response, some sort of judgment.

He smiled.

I eyed him suspiciously. "A smile wasn't what I was expecting. I expected scorn or repulsion."

"You can get negative from Edward." Emmett threw both his thumbs to his chest. Me, I'm not negative unless you tell me something to be negative about. He sounded like a terrible human. No loss really. But whatever happened to your Mom?"

I cringed. "She was devastated. Losing me, and then her husband a few years later... She never did recover. I keep tabs on her though, even today. She got lung cancer a couple years back and has been in an assisted living home for the past year."

"LOGAN! Why didn't you say anything before?" Emmett's eyes were full of concern.

"Emmett," I put my arms on his brawny shoulders. "She gave up on me almost eleven years ago. She stood by that bigot and pushed me into _this_ life. Her own son," I reasoned. "Why would I care now? I truly believe that karma is real and people reap what they sow. You sow hatred and God will give you your due. I don't know what you want me to say."

"Well, I want to say check," Emmett announced with his signature double dimple smile.

"What?" I replied.

"Check," Emmett restated and pointed down at the chessboard. Through my story, Emmett had systematically destroyed my pieces. I must have lost focus on the board to Emmett's delight. Strategic bastard. I moved my king to the one space that wouldn't prevent Emmett from getting his checkmate. He earned it after all. He sat through my story and didn't abandon me.

Yeah, he took the checkmate too and started to gloat to the world about it.

It got real annoying real fast.

While Emmett was still cheering for himself, I decided it would be a good idea to tackle him, _hard_. I waited for Emmett to put his back to me before I would pounce. I got into a crouch and was on Emmett before he could belt out another verse of _We Are The Champions_. I pushed him face first into the dirt. His shirt ripped up the front and his cursing could have sliced a nun in half. He pushed up off the ground with agile grace and spun on his feet.

Emmett let lose a feral growl when he discovered he couldn't move. He was strong, so incredibly strong. I had to will his body to stick with all my effort. "You couldn't win without your Jedi mind trick so really, you're still a loser."

"This coming from the one who's stuck to the ground like glue. I don't think I'll take much out of your opinion." I hopped up high into the air and where the sun blinded Emmett, I somersaulted behind him and drove my elbow in between his massive shoulder blades. Emmett flew to the ground again, fast first, again. I held him there, a combination of my physical presence and mental one. After a few more curses he stopped struggling. I slide down onto his ass to hold his torso down physically while I held his arms and feet down mentally. I could see a smile going from ear to ear on him. Did he like my pelvic positioning?

"What's so funny, Em? Care to share the joke with the rest of the class?" I joked.

Emmett didn't say anything for a few seconds and he stopped struggling completely. I thought that I might have really hurt him or something because Emmett wasn't the kind of guy to give up. I admired him for that. … … … But then, Emmett started to wiggle ever so slightly. But… It was his ass that he was wiggling of which I was straddling. His wiggling was moving my hips and my, I gulped, I wiggled too. I had an instant erection because of the movement and the person who was doing it. I let out a low moan and lost my concentration for a quarter second. It was all the time it took for Emmett to flip us over so that he was atop me, pinning me to the ground, hard.

Our positioning didn't last long because Emmett picked me up and threw me into a tree. After I sliced the tree in half and before I could get up, Emmett had me pinned beneath his burgeoning body again. He took his own elbow and slammed it into my gut. I belted out a cry of pain. What a dick! Emmett threw his palm over my mouth to stifle the sound. I looked at him and our positions relative to each other. He was pushed, hard, up against me with my legs on other side of his wide set hips. If there weren't upteen layers of clothing between us, there would have been penetration of someone.

"I would say we're even," Emmett shook with laughter. I couldn't laugh because his shaking was shaking me in all the right places. I bit my tongue to prevent myself from letting out another moan. The proximity of Emmett's hand to my mouth and nose weren't helping matters. So strong. So flexible. So succulent. Oh, what I could do with this those!

Sooner rather than later, much to my dismay, Emmett stopped laughing and he jumped off me and to his feet. He held out a hand to me. I looked up at him and his shirt was destroyed along with his pants. The man wears boxers. Loose fitting, but beautifully shaped around the mechanics I knew to exist within. I grabbed at his hand and Emmett flung me up faster than even my vampire mind was able to comprehend. I was really distracted after all. I fell into Emmett and he caught me. Our eyes met for three seconds. We were still but I felt like the world was moving. I wanted to kiss Emmett so badly.

I was about to make my move when Emmett pushed me into a tree and said, "Now I'm one up!" He started to laugh again. I joined him, but really I was hiding my embarrassment behind it. I had to will my passion and erection for that matter to shut off. With little success, I had to follow Emmett all the way home. I could've died, if I wasn't already dead.

As I approached the house I smelled several members of my family outside the garage. When I came across the driveway Edward asked whether I wanted to go hunting with them before school.

Jasper took a gander at me and suggested, "Maybe you and Emmett should go change before we go. I don't want to scare any humans we may come across. It would be hard to explain a couple of guys with ripped shirts, who were in the middle of the woods." He laughed a little as he murmured something about "Brokeback Mountain, revisited."

I gave him the glare of death.

"Or maybe not," Jasper yelped as he ran into the woods.

"No, I'm going to take a shower," I said.

Emmett wanted to go hunting with the boys as we actually didn't do so when we were in Idaho. Emmett gave me his bag of chess pieces and ran up to his room. A second later he was back in the garage with a brand new white shirt and jeans. It accented his pectorals too well and I could feel my libido kicking in again. It had died down over the course of the run back in the cold. I loved the cold, damp weather that was chronic in the Pacific Northwest. I turned to go into the house and as I did, I caught Edward's raised eyebrow. I gave him a subtle nod to which he responded the same.

I ran up the stairs in a flash and into my room to find Alice sitting on my bed reading a magazine. From behind the pages Alice spoke, "Have a good time, Logan?"

I growled. "Don't play around with me, Alice. I'm not in the mood."

"Okay, well I should thank you for your mood earlier this evening." Alice got off my bed and came up to where I was sitting at my desk. "I did like this shirt on you. Too bad Emmett had to destroy it. He's such an oversized teddy bear."

"Why are you here and not hunting with the rest of them? And why did you thank me for my mood!" I was in no mood for Alice's games.

"I didn't go hunting with them because Jasper is with them. I need some away time from my husband. Your mood is the reason why I need to get away from Jasper." To the confused look that was plastered across my face Alice continued, "You and I both know you have a thing for Emmett. Don't deny it. And ever since you met him, you've been, well, lusty; you're like a Lusty Logan, Logan. Whenever you see him, your thoughts go haywire and I see about a thousand different futures. Can you guess what they involve? OR SHOULD I SAY WHO! Anyways, Jasper, this family's aptly named 'Emotional Sponge' not only feels your emotions, but has a knack for taking them on himself. This translates into uber amounts of coital bliss. And Logan, I'm sore. I'm so very sore."

"Vampires don't get sore," I replied.

"Not physically, but mentally," Alice said pointing to her head. "Besides, if I'm with Jasper all hours of the night, my other exploits fall a part. Like this," she felt my shirt, "it's going to be Fall Fashion Week soon and I haven't even gotten a single family member's wardrobe prepared."

"So what are you telling me to do… exactly?" I was truly confused.

"Tell Emmett how you feel. These urges will probably go away. Such translates to more free time for Alice."

"I don't think I'll ever stop lusting after Emmett so what is telling him have anything to do with it," I replied.

"Because MAYBE he'd, you know..." Alice rolled her eyes, "agree with your feelings and figure out how to, em, satiate your lust?"

I about lost it. "Was that a question? I can't tell Emmett. He's straight as an arrow so telling him his newly adopted family member has a huge crush on him won't exactly create social order in the Cullen house."

"Everyone in this house, aside from Emmett who is a brick when it comes to emotions, knows something is different in your and Emmett's relationship. It's not familial or just friends. It's something else. Have you noticed that Esme has started to gush affection way more than usually?"

"I didn't know it was possible for Esme to more cheerful." I had to agree about the Esme thing. She had been unusually _more_ cheerful lately. And she had been giving me some distance to spend time with Emmett, but the others too.

"Even if Emmett is 'straight,' that doesn't mean you aren't his mate. We mate for life, but we don't truly know until we have been with other half for the first time. My first time with Jasper still gives me chills."

"Yeah, I don't need a play-by-play," I gagged. Alice laughed.

"Logan, let's be honest, I think you owe it to yourself to see where you stand with Emmett. Good or bad, being open with him is the best direction to go in. Besides after seeing what you two did just now, I'm surprised you didn't just smack one on his lips!"

"Was I that obvious?" Internally, I shunned the whiny little boy I had turned into.

Alice smiled. "If it's any consolation, Emmett hesitated too."

I bit my lip. "Wait, what does that mean?"

"Okay, enough of Emmett. You need to shower and get ready for school. Day two and I'm already seeing what trouble Logan Cullen will get into." Alice flitted from my bedroom without one more word.

_Emmett hesitated too_. What the hell?

I hopped into the shower and proceeded to drain the water tank of all hot water. The heat allowed me to gather my thoughts on all that happened to me over the past several months. I got dressed and went downstairs to wait for everyone else to get back. Right before we were to leave for school, they all ran through the door and got changed. Emmett came down the stairs with a fresh shirt; this one was deep crimson. It complemented his golden eyes so well. I had to bite my tongue hard to break me out of my lusty spell. Focusing on the pain from my throbbing tongue kept me from jumping Emmett's bones right there. Alice walked by and shook her head in annoyance.

The high schoolers went out into the garage and I got into my Mustang. I would definitely have to do something nice for Rosalie to repay her for getting all the work done in one night. I looked over to see Rosalie, Edward, Jasper, and Alice in Emmett's Jeep. At first I thought I was driving to school alone. Driving down alone would give me some more time to think. I whipped it into reverse, but before I could drive out of the garage, I heard a tap on the passenger side window. I unlocked the doors and Emmett gracefully slid himself onto the seat.

He looked at me for three whole seconds before he said, "What's up?"

What's up?


	8. Ch 8: Setting Sun

At school, everyone's eyes were on me. Their whispering were about me. I wished I could tell these people I had super sensitive ears and that I could hear them even when they would muffle their voices in the back of class. By the end of the week everyone had come to one of two conclusions. Nate either slipped, fallen, and busted up his shoulder on his own or I had tripped him _on accident_ and then tripped myself onto Nate, thereby causing his shoulder malady. Whether you were Team Slip or Trip, I had come to the conclusion that it wasn't for any supernatural reason that I took down someone twice my size. It wasn't so unheard of! Haven't these people heard of the story of David and Goliath?

Regardless, the gossip continued and it began to fray my nerves. I didn't like this type of attention. I could tell Emmett didn't either.

Oh, Emmett.

It was Friday afternoon and Emmett and I were walking to the gym. As we navigated the hallways toward the gym, I came around a corner and heard my name, then Nate's, and then either "slip" or "trip."

I sighed loudly.

As Emmett came around the corner, he yelled, "Don't you people have ANYTHING better to talk about? Get a life!" He stared every one of them down until they scattered. I heard a growl begin reverberate through his chest. He would have to cool it ASAP. There wasn't any need to give these humans more to gossip about.

I shook my head in annoyance and then turned to Emmett. "Thanks, Em."

He smiled a wide grin and put his hand on my shoulder. The now familiar, but ever exciting electricity shot through my body again. My nerves were now frayed _for a different reason_ and it was sublime.

When Emmett let go, my personal prophylactic shut off and I was reminded of how burned out I was. This week had been rough even throwing the gossip train to the side. With all the subtle looks and comments coming from my family, I had become hyperaware that the entire family knew something was brewing between Emmett and I. The only person who didn't know was Emmett. It was so frustrating.

I gulped hard. Emmett and I began to walk again to gym.

…

Two more weeks passed and Emmett and I had become inseparable. We took my car to school ever day together and even when another family member would ride along, Emmett always sat in front with me. He never asked to drive my Mustang, ever. Emmett loved to go fast, but he also was a control freak when it came to _facilitating_ how fast he or others would go. He wasn't like that with me, however. The whole thing sent a slew of mixed messages my way.

The new car smell was gone now and it was replaced with my scent. Emmett's was mixed in there too because he had spent the second most time there. Rosalie had put a scented pine tree around my rearview mirror one evening as a joke. The next day, when I discovered the nasty ass thing, instead of the smell of Emmett, the putrid smell of fake rainforest encompassed everything. I shredded that pine tree and drove all the way to school with the windows down. That smell permeated my nose for hours.

"Oh come on!" Emmett said over raucous laughter.

I wasn't laughing.

"It's like she hot boxed you or something!"

Later, I had to Google define what "hot box" meant. Needless to say, I wasn't pleased. The bitch is going to pay.

…

Saturday rolled around and it saw the family sitting around the living room engaged in their various pursuits. Carlisle was reviewing some medical records while Esme rested her head on his lap reading a book. Alice was tapping away at her laptop, probably predicting the rise and fall of the stock market over the next week so as to pick the right investments. Rosalie was sitting next to Alice reading the latest edition of Cosmopolitan. Rosalie had given up trying to help Alice decide whether investing in mortgage securities was a good idea again. Emmett and Jasper were in locked in _im_mortal combat via a chessboard. Neither Jasper nor Emmett had made a move in two hours, there minds were busy strategizing every possibility. Emmett had long ago used his double move prize from the bet over whether I would keep an animal's blood down on the first day. I was flattered when I realized Emmett betted _in favor of me._

He looked good today. He always looked good though. He looked really good when he strategized. He'd smash his adorable eyebrows together when he'd concentrate. I swear he could shoot laser beams out of his eyes like Superman.

I heard a cough from behind me. I looked over my shoulder to see that Edward was scribbling piano notes onto a scrap piece of paper. He coughed again. I looked around to see if anyone else reacted to Edward's fit as vampires don't cough, but obviously that was a reality lost on everyone else. Edward was sending a message. He was telling me it was time to talk.

_I'll follow your lead_, I informed Edward.

He smirked his sly smirk and turned to Alice.

Alice shrieked. "Damn it! Edward, can you do me a HUGE favor?"

Everyone looked toward the commotion save Jasper and Emmett. Those two couldn't be bothered when they were "doing" chess as Emmett called it.

"Yes, I can do it. I have been having writer's block for an hour," Edward responded. Unsure of what to do next, I waited for Edward's next move. "Logan, you want to come? You're not doing anything." Edward more told me than asked.

"Uh," I stammered. "Where?" I was honestly confused.

"Alice needs us to run to Seattle to get some paperwork for the latest series of investments," Edward said. How could the fact that it was both a Saturday _and_ we had a fax machine in the office upstairs escape everyone aside from me, again? I just went with it though.

I nodded and raised my hand toward my room. I pulled my coat through the wall and into my hands.

Edward just rolled his eyes.

As we were about to walk out the door, Emmett jumped up and grabbed me by the shoulder. "Hey, wait. I'll come too."

"No, that is alright, Emmett. Finish your game with Jasper." Edward pointed to Jasper who looked confused.

I shot a look over to Alice who wasn't giving anything less than a death glare at Jasper.

Jasper felt the pressure of Alice's gaze and said, "Uh yeah Em, don't leave. I was just about to put you into checkmate—in thirteen moves. My plan is full proof!" I had to hold my hand to my mouth to muffle a laugh that was trying to burst out, Jasper's sarcastic voice was that obvious.

The sarcasm wasn't apparent to Emmett though as he jumped back into his seat in a flash and said, "Bring it, bitch!"

Emmett's statement earned himself a reproachful glare from Esme, but also granted Edward and I cover to sneak out to the garage.

We hopped into Edward's Volvo and were on the 101 heading south. We didn't go far however. He pulled off onto a dirt road and shut the car off.

"Come on, let us go for a run. I am sure you cannot keep up!" This was the first thing Edward had said to me since we left. I knew he was reading every thought I was having. It wasn't anything less than a panic attack. This was going to be the first time we both officially talked about Emmett and I. Ugh.

Edward snapped his finger in front of my face to get my attention and prevent an impending meltdown. "If you beat me, I will tell you what Emmett has been asking me about." He winked and was out of his car before I could utter a syllable.

I had to beat Edward.

We sprinted into the Olympic National Park. The elevation was getting higher and the wind became fierce. I felt like a fighter jet slicing through the wind. Edward would let me catch up to him, but as soon as I would, he would take off. He was a freaky fast, even for a vampire. Too freaking fast. I would have to use my own freakishness to my advantage.

_Y equals MX plus B_, I said in my head. _Diameter equals radius times two!_ I had to keep Edward from knowing my true intent until the right moment. Where were we going? Eventually, the trees cleared and I realized our ultimate destination: Mount Olympus, the tallest peak in the range. The summit had to be the goal. I held back behind Edward until the last possible moment.

Edward was ten feet from a rocky outcropping, the summit. I threw my hand up and ripped Edward into the air. He didn't know it was coming, his frustrated cussing told me as much. Who knew he had such a potty mouth? The speed at which Edward was running had forced him into an uncontrolled bout of somersaults. He looked like a Ferris Wheel on overdrive. I balled my hand into a fist to slow him.

As Edward came out of his last flip, he crossed his arms and said, "Mind putting me down, Logan? I was going to tell you everything even if I won."

I rolled my eyes and dropped Edward so that he would land on the outcropping. He won. Now I would get my answers.

"It is a beautiful view, is it not?" Edward was looking out past the low clouds to see the Pacific Ocean in the west and the Juan de Fuca strait in the north.

_No small talk Edward, please,_ I pleaded.

"Then talk, Logan." Despite Edward's ability hear every thought I had, he was going to wait until I composed the right thing to say.

Might as well start with the main statement. "Edward, I like Emmett, a lot. More than a friend, more than a brother, more than I know or can say. I talked about it with Alice a little bit, but all she said was to go for it. I dunno."

Edward sat cross-legged atop the rock outcropping like Buddha. I would've laughed if I wasn't so tense. Edward looked around again and then looked at me. "Logan, I have known Emmett for decades. I've known him in bellbottoms and I have known him in 80s grunge. I do not know him when he's around you." Edward's eyes pierced my soul. He was truly perplexed and for a mind reader, that had to be very frustrating.

His frustration was my frustration. "What does that mean, Edward?" I asked.

"Emmett can be a bullheaded ass. Pardon my expletive," Edward said.

_Oh now he excuses his cuss words!_ I thought sarcastically.

"And you've taken on some of his behavior, like incessant side chatter," Edward interjected.

I sighed. "Sorry."

"Like I was saying, he can be an ass, but he is not that way when you are around. He is caring, he is content, and he is relaxed. That is the best way of saying it."

"I wish I was relaxed around him," I said. "Emmett makes me so tense and whenever he talks to me I want to giggle like a school girl." I thought of Edward's giggle fest on the first day of school.

Edward held out his hand in agreement. "First day of school is the perfect example."

"What?" I said. "Your giggle fest?"

Edward rolled his eyes. "No! When we all decided that it was a good idea to enroll you at Forks High School, it was Emmett's idea to get you your Mustang. I know he said it was Rose, but… it was him. All him. He thought the blue paint matched the color of your eyes. That paint is not stock. It was specially made and applied by Rose." My dead heart leaped into space. I couldn't speak. I needed Edward to continue. Edward acquiesced to my desire. "Emmett has all these thoughts and frankly I feel like I am violating his conscience by speaking them to you. His conscious thoughts are about you, always about you, but…"

"But what?" I was on the edge of my seat, figuratively speaking of course.

"But not in any manner more than brother or friend. It's just…"

"Oh," I said succinctly. My dead heart crashed down the mountain.

"Logan," Edward said trying to break me out of my downward spiral. "LOGAN!"

I didn't respond. What could I say? A brother? … Ew. A friend? … Nopers. Oh geez, the "friend zone." How terrible.

Edward screamed my name once more.

"WHAT?" I yelled back.

"Will you let me finish?"

"Sure," I spat.

Edward sighed. "What I was going to say is that it is just that a person does not think about another person the amount that Emmett thinks about you _unless there is more going on_. I should know. I am a the family mind scanner."

My heart lifted out of the grave it had tumbled into. It was not as high as earlier, but it still beat, figuratively of course.

"I am happy Jasper did not come with us. Your mood swings in the past minute would have caused him to fall down the mountain himself," Edward chided me.

I couldn't help it. And now, Edward "officially" knew how I felt. How could I go back to the house? Emmett was there. How could I just be friends with him? This blew! Bam! A powdery mess of snow exploded in my face. Scraping it from my face I saw Edward with a deep scowl.

"What?" I yelled. I wish my nonexistent tears could stream down my face. Instead, wet snow.

"Logan, listen to me. I have yet to find my soul mate, but I do know a spark when I see it. Emmett is different around you. He thinks of you, all the time. Again,_ that_ is not what a brother or friend would do. For example, I do not. Look at Jasper. He stares at Alice and when she is not actually there, he stares at the image of her that he has within his mind. I hope you can see how confused about Emmett I have been. Since you have come into our lives, Emmett is different. It is almost like he's flirting with you without knowing."

"I know Emmett isn't gay," I said half hoping Edward would correct me.

"It is true that Emmett has always had an eye for the females," Edward said. "And I hope I do not offend you by telling you this, but Emmett has had," Edward shuddered, "relations with some of those females."

"That would be Emmett," I laughed. And that laugh was all I needed. I felt a little better. I started to guess what position Emmett had one of his lady friends in to make Edward shudder like that. My mental checklist of positions made Edward shudder again.

"Please do not make me remember it again let alone have to say it out loud, Logan!" Edward pleaded.

I raised my hands in surrender.

Edward started up again, "But Emmett has never really found his soul mate. You know, _the one_. Carlisle and I both thought that when Rosalie found Emmett, those two would be together. When sparks did not fly, they relegated their relationship to something more like a twin brother and sister relationship. While they look different on the outside, they both can be equally crude and vain."

"What should I do, Edward? When I'm with him, I feel nothing less than content and safe. I know that I could take on a dozen vampires and crush them into a dime sized hole, but I just feel safe inside, ya know?"

Edward said, "I do know." He then tapped his temple. "Well, I should tell you that Jasper knows as well. He and I have talked about the, uh, tension between you and Emmett."

"Jasper is an emotional sponge!" I half laughed. My embarrassment cut me off. How much of my frozen 18-year old sex drive was rubbing off on Jasper?

"Alice has been rather satisfied lately. She has not bothered me as much about my wardrobe because Jasper has been keeping here, uh, busy." Edward pinched the bridge of his nose. I was very glad that my ability didn't allow me to pour over the thoughts of those around me. It would be nice to see what Emmett was thinking though.

"Yeah, Alice and I talked about her sexual satiation. Ew," I said. Another thought crossed my brain about Alice. "What has she seen exactly?"

"She has been seeing a lot. I am not going to give you details about everyone of them because while one points down path A, the next one points down path B, and both paths are in the opposite direction. Then we have to consider paths C through triple-Z. It is really confusing."

"I'm not sure what I should do. I mean—I could talk to Emmett about the whole thing." That idea had sprung up repeatedly since being in Forks.

"Why don't you, Logan?" Edward's question was so basic yet so immensely powerful.

"Do you think I should?" I answered Edward's question with a question. He tilted his neck to the right and gave me a Carlisle-style father-esque look. I was reminded how old Edward really was. "This is the part where you should say some old cliché like 'it's better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all.' Isn't it?" I folded my arms.

"All I will say is that I have been searching this Earth high and low for my soul mate. So if the possibility for love is set before me, I would walk the Earth for eternity fretting over any decision that I made that was not to explore that possibility. If it does not work out, it does not work out. But Logan, what if it does?"

It was my turn to look out at the Pacific Ocean. It was so distant that it looked like it was a world away.

"Come back to the house when you are ready to start the next day of the rest of your life. Pardon the Esme quote." Edward patted me on the back. "The sunset from this spot is spectacular by the way."

Edward was about to leave, when I called out to him. "Does everyone else know for real?"

"Jasper through your emotions; Rosalie, because she knows Emmett better than he knows himself; Alice, because, aside from talking to me about it, she sees everything. She was not watching the stock market by the way, she was waiting for you and I to plan to leave so she could get us out with an alibi."

"What about Carlisle and Esme?" The thought of parental-approval of a gay son was heavy on my heart given what happened with my human parents.

Edward gave me a reassuring smile. "Logan, those two are willing to kill to protect and ensure your happiness. They might not have my ability to read minds, but they have an empathy that I could only dream of. They know something is going on between Emmett and you. They just respect and love you too much to bring it up. And approval is not necessary in their minds. Being gay isn't a choice. It just is. Therefore, in their minds, you just are. It is that simple.

"As for Emmett, they know it is going to be a hard decision for you to make about him. They will help you and Emmett through this if it does not work out. Logan, pain is fleeting when you have a family. Whatever your decision, the future will be bright."

"I love you Edward." It was all I could to not hug him. A smile curled up my lip though. I added, "As a brother of course." I curled up a gigantic snowball behind Edward and lobed it on top of Edward's head. _Edward made an excellent snowman_, I thought.

Edward ripped the snow off his head. "Watch it brother! Revenge can come at any time when you have eternity to plan!" He started to walk toward the trees and down the mountain. He stopped and turned around, "I love you too, brother."

I nodded my head and then he was gone in a flash.

I waited a few minutes to really contemplate what I was going to do to give Edward time to get out of range. He didn't need to deal with my impending mental brawl. The heart versus the brain would do battle until sundown.

The setting son was certainly spectacular. As moonlight replaced sunlight, I still had no answer on what to do, so I decided to head for home. I had hope for some sort of answer or epiphany up on the mountain, but that type of irony was a plot twist for the movies, not real life.

As I walked up the stairs to the house, I questioned how Edward would have explained my absence when he arrived home alone. Later, I found out that I, apparently, had a momentary lapse in control and almost tore through the financial planner's throat. Edward, being the best brother this Earth had ever seen, suggested that I hunt before coming home.

"That was my favorite planner!" Alice yelled. "It must have been a split second decision! I didn't know you were so thirsty, Logan."

"But wait…" Emmett tried to interject. Edward glanced over to Carlisle who then realized our ruse and put his hand Emmett's shoulder and put his Dad-face on for me.

"Better question is why have you not hunted recently, Logan!" Carlisle turned on his Dad-voice. Ugh, this sucked.


	9. Ch 9: I Didn't Know Where I Was Going

It was the end of October and the Cullens found themselves engaged in a tradition older than Carlisle: Halloween. Carving pumpkins was a tradition the Cullen household, mostly because handing out candy to the locals or dressing up in costumes was out of the question. Imagine the looks we would get if Carlisle dressed up as Dracula. Oh, geez. That wasn't attention we needed.

I was busy chopping away at my pumpkin when I found my brain slinking back into the rut that was Emmett. I still hadn't talked to him even though a bunch of opportunities had presented themselves. The others had taken huge steps to create alone time for Emmett and I. Jasper would conveniently duck out of a game of chess and place me in the chair in his stead. Edward disappeared whenever I would mentally pine over Emmett when the three of us would hunt. And Esme, oh Esme! She would insist that Emmett and I assist with repair or renovation project in the house. Then she, like Edward, would conveniently disappear. Anyone who wasn't Emmett Cullen would've noticed this strange behavior, but of course, it was Emmett Cullen I was stuck on. The excess alone time wasn't wasted by any means either. We continued to practice my chess game, watch football (I now fully understood the damn game), hunt, or do other vampire related recreational activities. Emmett was fast becoming my best friend and the closer we got to that status the more I feared ruining it all by telling Emmett that I wanted to see him naked.

Edward grimaced, but started to laugh. Damn, mind scanner.

"Bad visual, Logan," Edward said, but continued to laugh.

"Okay?" Emmett said from across the table, which only made Edward laugh harder. Ignoring us, Emmett went back to carving his pumpkin with his fingernail. He was a child like that.

The rest of us elected to use the never-otherwise-used kitchen cutlery to open our pumpkins, scoop out the contents, and carve. I was rather impressed with Emmett's rendition of a vampire. The likeness wasn't quite there owing to the huge fangs protruding from either side of the mouth though. I commented that Emmett should consider taking up painting or drawing.

"I've already got too much on my plate right now," he said.

"Watch it, Emmett," Carlisle joked. "Esme might suggest to you need after school tutoring in Chemistry. Parent-teacher conferences are tomorrow."

Emmett froze like a statue. I could sense the tension creep into the room. "Parent-teacher conferences?" I asked. "As in for your children, Esme?"

Esme sighed. "Oh dear, probably one of my least favorite yearly events. I have to listen to those teachers tell me all the bad things about my children. They gloss over the fact that you all have great grades and focus on how you all are anti-social and introverted. I had one teacher threaten to report me to social services last year!"

I could see how a teacher would believe even Emmett to be introverted. We intentionally kept ourselves out of the mainstream high school existence notwithstanding my Nate Farling encounter. I never hung out with Eric or any of the other humans after the first day. I preferred the company of my family. It was familiar to me and I had to hide less when I was with them. So much for street cred. Sorry, Emmett.

Esme continued, "If they only knew how special each and every one of you."

Rosalie put her hand on Esme's shoulder and smiled. I got up and took Esme into a tight hug.

"You're special too, Esme," I said with conviction. "How about this, we'll go with you to the conferences. They were looking for volunteers to serve coffee and donuts to the parents. I don't think the teachers can say we're all anti-social when we're volunteering."

Rosalie looked into the distance and I knew she wasn't thrilled about my idea. Eventually, with some prodding, she was at the coffee table with me the next night.

"This stuff smells like chalk. How do humans drink this stuff?" Rosalie groaned after filling a coffee filter with fresh grounds.

"Well, Ms. Cullen, it is how some of us humans get through the day," said Mr. Olsen who filled his cup at the table.

"Hello, Mr. Olsen," I said.

"Ah, Logan," he replied. "Still can't convince you to go out for football, can I?"

"Mr. Olsen, the season is almost over," I answer without really giving an answer.

"Well, basketball starts soon. Maybe you could convince that Edward brother of yours to go out. Or wrestling for you and Emmett." Olsen was relentless.

"I can't speak for my brothers, but like I said earlier—chronic bronchitis. Can't play sports." I pointed at my throat.

Olsen took a swig of his coffee. "Ah, good stuff! Are you sure, Cullen? I see you running in gym. You barely breaking a sweat."

I don't break a sweat. Ever.

"Gym class is pushing my limits there too." I made a mental note to invest in an inhaler before my next gym class. Carlisle could probably hook me up. I had to get Olsen off my back somehow, and killing him wasn't exactly an option.

Olsen rolled his eyes in frustration, turned, and began to walk away, but not before he grumbled something about me being a useless twink.

Okay, I couldn't let that one go. "Coach?" I spat.

"Oh, nothing, son," Olsen said without stopping. He was around the corner and in the gym before I could mutter another sound. What a douche.

I couldn't contemplate the doucheness that was Coach Olsen for very long though as I felt a push on my back. I sniffed the air quickly and knew it was Emmett wedging himself between Rosalie and me with a box of Styrofoam cups.

"S'cuse me!" He said as he most certainly intentionally bumped right into my ass with his hip.

I jumped forward spilling a cup of coffee I had poured for a parent.

Rosalie hit him on the back and said, "Stop being an ass!"

Emmett let loose one of his booming laughs. (It warmed me up inside.)

"Language, young lady!" Mr. McGaw, the principal, appeared out of nowhere.

"Oh, I'm very sorry, sir. It just slipped out of me. It won't happen again." Rosalie batted her eyelashes a bit.

"Happens to us all I suppose," McGaw replied.

My shocked face spoke better than words.

Under her breath, Rosalie bragged, "With looks like this, I could get myself out of deeper shit."

I wanted to say, "language, young lady," but I thought better of it considering McGaw was still hovering about. He wouldn't take too kindly of me mocking him. There had to be something better.

I thought arduously about it, but before I could fire off any joke at Rosalie's expense, my body bumped forward again into the table in front of me. Emmett decided he had to move his large frame in between Rose and I again. This time, however he rubbed his belt buckle across my ass. A cool shiver flew up my spine and the electricity lighted up my brain. I gasped rather loud. When I came to, I saw Mr. McGaw looking over at me. I must've looked like a fool.

"Burned myself on the coffee," I said lifting up a cup. Worse cover up ever, but whatever. Below my breath and human ears, I _yelled_, "ASS!"

From the back room I heard Emmett reply, "Yeah, I believe that is what I bumped into." He said it so cool, calm, and collected; I nearly had a heart attack.

I shot a glance to Rosalie to gauge her expression, but she was as surprised as me.

"Logan, I think you and Emmett should go and find Mom and see how the conferences are going," Rosalie suggested in a really robotic tone.

_Hey Rose, could you make it any more obvious that I should get on my knees and offer to service Emmett?_ I thought. Silently, I thanked the man upstairs for Edward being somewhere else in the school. He, Alice, and Jasper offered to push the mobile coffee cart for the teachers who were stuck in their classrooms for conferences. Edward would've probably spilled coffee on Mr. McGaw's crotch if he was here.

Emmett bumped into me again, but this time it was intentional to get my attention. "Yeah Logan, let's go and see what _Mom _is doing." He rolled his eyes and chuckled.

Did he knew that Rose was being _obvious_? That word has become overused in my vocabulary lately. Fuck.

As we snuck out of the cafeteria, I punched Emmett in the side as hard as I could muster. He barely winced. It made my brain titillate; I liked a strong man. "Hey Em, be a little more convincing with the '_Mom_' thing," I chided, but with a smile.

"Whoa, killer. I was just joking," Emmett replied seriously. I felt bad for being so harsh. I thought the smile would've showed I was kidding.

We walked down the hallway in silence until we smelled the fresh scent of one Esme Cullen. She was in a conference with my English teacher, Mr. Maddock. There was a second heartbeat in the room however. I looked at Emmett who knew my question instantly. Who was it?

"The guidance counselor, Mrs. Schall," Emmett concluded. "But why is she in there too?"

We sat on the floor outside the classroom pretending to wait for our mother. To any ordinary passerby, they couldn't hear what was being said in the room. We could hear everything.

"Mrs. Cullen, I'm frankly surprised to hear you say that," Maddock said. "Yes, I agree that your boys are doing well, but I fear for their social development. They shy away from social gatherings. I for one have never seen them at a school dance or football game."

"Mr. Maddock, I did not know attendance at the football games was required to secure a passing grade in English," Esme responded in a spiteful tone.

"I think what Mr. Maddock is trying to say," Mrs. Schall interjected, "is that all of your children, Rose and Alice too, don't care to be here. I mean what teenager wants to be here, but seriously, you don't think their attitudes have anything to do with their behavior?"

"I still don't see any behavioral problems, Mrs. Schall," Esme spat.

"Anti-social, introverted, I could go on, but are you sure there isn't anything going on at home that could be distracting them? Is it because Dr. Cullen works late hours?" Mrs. Schall asked.

I looked to Emmett who said, "That was Schall's mistake. Don't suggest family problems and then add Carlisle as a potential problem."

Sure enough, I knew human ears out in the hallways could hear Esme when she spoke next. "Mrs. Schall, I am offended by your implication! My husband and I have nothing but love and respect for our children. I would gladly invite you to our home to see the nurturing environment we have set up for them if I recognized your educational background. I believe you have a masters degree in educational leadership. Am I incorrect to say this degree is not a psychological, psychiatric, or social work-related degree?"

"Um, no you're are not incorrect, but…" Mrs. Schall replied. She was flustered.

Esme didn't give Mrs. Schall one more inch. "Then I don't see the point of you questioning my family or my children. Mr. Murdock, Jasper, Edward, and Logan are doing well in your class. I have seen their grades." They were flawless aside from our intentional mistakes. We didn't want to have all Cullen children being Valedictorians. Existing in the top twentieth to tenth percentile in class ranking was our goal to which we achieved flawlessly. Valedictorian was reserved for Jessica Stanley, who I now made a concerted effort to avoid.

"Well, that is, er, correct, but…" Murdock was flustered too.

"Do you think Esme is bearing her fangs right now?" I asked.

Emmett eyes went wide in response. He had an idea.

Before he could say it though, I backhand him in the chest. "Don't even think about carving 'Esme' into your vampire pumpkin. You'll probably find that damn thing affixed to your head, permanently."

Meanwhile, Esme continued her onslaught, "Then I'll consider this conference on English proficiency closed. Good night to both of you!" Esme stormed out of that office and went to her next conference. She winked at Emmett and me as she passed by.

"Well, the fun is done. Want to head back to the caf?" Emmett got up and offered me his hand. The symbol of the act was lost on Emmett and I knew I read too much into it. I grabbed his hand though and he pulled me up with ease. Did I mention I liked a strong man? A volt of electricity surged through my hand and then up and down my spine.

Emmett let go of my hand then and straightened out his jeans and shirt. _Oh boy, he looked good._ And there was the electricity again. It happened now without even touching him. This time, the electrical hum resonated into my groin. I sighed loudly.

I had to focus on something else. "Since when did you care what you looked like?" I asked.

"Got to look good for the ladies. Never know when I'll meet my mate," he replied with a toothy grin. His dimples said hello as well. (I wanted to wave back.)

I mustered a less than thrilling smile and followed Emmett back to the cafeteria. As we passed the stairwell however, Emmett took a turn and started up the stairs. The cafeteria wasn't up there, but I followed him anyways. A few more flights up, we found ourselves at the service door to the roof. It was padlocked.

"I assume we're not going back to the caf?" I asked rhetorically.

"Nah, this looks like more fun. Do you think you can, you know, do a little magic?"

It was all I could do to not throw him through a wall. If we were at home, he would have already been through a wall before he finished the last syllable. Magi—BAM! "Yes, because I'm _Harry Potter_, Em." I grabbed the lock and felt where the key needed to be. I moved the mechanism and the padlock clicked open.

"Good job, _Hermione_!" Emmett padded my head.

"HEY, WAIT! Why am I the girl!" I groaned. Before I could stop myself, I realized I sounded like a total girl. Fuck.

"You had the high pitch going there," Emmett belted out over his laughter.

"Douche," I replied as we walked through the door onto the roof.

"What did you call me, _Hermione_?" Emmett stood within an inch of me. I fought the urge to smell in his sweet scent. When I didn't answer, Emmett pushed my shoulders, and I reasserted my stance but a foot away from him. He quickly reasserted his close proximity to me.

"Bitch, please," I said as I folded my arms. I raised my eyebrow in the air and so did Emmett rise in the air.

"Hey man, not cool! I was just kidding around!" Emmett was nervous. He didn't like losing control.

"I know you were kidding," I mocked. "I'm kidding too." I dropped Emmett so he was horizontal with the roof. I gave a small laugh and let go. Emmett hit the roof with a thud.

I held my hand out and Emmett grasped it. It was my turn to pull his huge frame up. Another bolt went through my body in the brief moments we were connected. Was Emmett feeling this too? I didn't think so when Emmett started to tell me how cool the magic show was. The amount of sarcasm in his tone made me nauseas.

I rubbed my hands together to massage away the electricity. It didn't though. It expanded to both of my hands and I found myself enveloped in a full body… Shiver? It was hard to describe. It was like all my muscles were eternally tight and loose all at the same time. A comfortable chaos ensued within me. I opened my eyes and wondered just when I had closed them. Emmett was still talking to me, but I was no where to be found.

"Huh?" I stammered.

"Wow, you're really tense," Emmett commented. Suddenly, he was behind me, massaging my shoulders. How did he get there? He kneaded, pushed, and pressed my muscles and my body was in sensual overload. I was absolutely positive my shivering was visible to Emmett, but then again, he never said anything. My whole body warmed to his touch, which for me was rather disconcerting. I was a cold one.

I bit down on my lip to stifle a moan.

Before I could continue to enjoy this connection, the rational side of my brain took over. _WHAT ARE YOU DOING, LOGAN? WHO ARE YOU KIDDING? WHERE WOULD THIS WORK? WHEN WOULD IT WORK? NEVER. IT COULD NEVER __BE. Stop pushing yourself closer to that precipice, because sooner or later you're going to fall and fall HARD._

I walked out of the reach of Emmett and stared off into the night. It was a clear night and the moon was full and bright.

"Beautiful night out tonight, eh?" Emmett stood shoulder to shoulder with me.

I turned to Emmett and saw how beautiful the moonlight was on his already ghostly white skin. Humans knew to fear this skin and the monster underneath, but they could never _really_ figure out why. I had no fear of this skin. I only feared the monster within him that could reject me for what I was about to say next.

He had to know.

"I think you're my best friend," I muttered facing him. I gave myself my own confused look. "I mean, I have known you the longest of any of the others. Well, it's really… Um, I love spending time with you."

It was Emmett's turn to raise a brow. Oh boy, I was fucking this up.

I took a breath. "I mean to say, I know that the Seahawks will never win the Superbowl."

This earned me a growl.

"I know how to kick your ass at chess."

The growl got deeper.

"I know how to laugh in the face of adversity."

Emmett uttered, "What?"

I continued, "I hope you know that I couldn't have stopped hunting humans without you. Whenever I felt like I would slip up, you were always there either physically or in my head." I tapped my temple. "Like when I _fought_ Nate. I about pummeled him into the lockers outside that weight room, but when I saw you regain your control, I knew I could too. Thank you for that. So like I said, I know how to laugh in the face of adversity—but it's because of you. It's always been you. Thank you."

Emmett eyed me suspiciously. "Your welcome?"

"Was that question?" I asked in return.

Emmett let out a deep laugh. I knew the seriousness of the moment would soon be lost on us. I had to say it.

"And…" I tried to continue.

Emmett stopped laughing and looked into my eyes. Silence overtook us.

I took a deep breath. Emmett's sweet scent enveloped my soul in a warm, inviting embrace. Shit.

I closed my eyes and practically shouted. "I think I _love_ my best friend!" I opened my eyes, but immediately stared down at the roof like I found a shiny object and I was OCD.

That simple sentence completely, utterly, and absolutely understated my feelings. I couldn't breathe, and THANK GOD I WAS A VAMPIRE and breathing wasn't necessary. My chest constricted around my silent heart. A different sensation settled in then; I had never felt that way before. It was equal parts terrifying, gratifying, and relieving.

"Oh," Emmett said. After three point three seconds, which felt like an eternity to me mind you, Emmett added, "I'm sorry I made you uncomfortable."

Uncomfortable?

Uncomfortable isn't how I would put it. How about intoxicated or inebriated? Combine that with a huge dose of lusty and you got it! My heart clenched and my stomach twisted in on itself. I forced my eyes from the pearly object on the roof and into Emmett's eyes.

His eyes were kind.

"You don't make me feel uncomfortable," I insisted.

"Oh," Emmett said again. "Hey Logan, you're my best friend too." That made my heart putter to life, metaphorically, but it paled in comparison to what I wanted to hear. He continued, "But um, yeah, I don't really have those, um," he coughed, "feelings for you. Um, you know I like those of the female variety and such."

Anger took over me.

"Really?" I spat out.

Who was I? It was clear: either a drama queen or vindictive bitch. I systematically listed out every nuance, every touch that gave me even an inkling that he had feelings for me. The subtle and not too subtle were all thrown in the mix. His wiggling of the ass thing in the woods because _he knew_ it would distract me in the woods, the coffee thing just today, et cetera. I couldn't believe he had the gall to say what he said to me! "You say like the female variety, but I don't see that. You treat me way differently than any of the others; more than a friend or brother. Don't think the rest of the family hasn't noticed that you act towards me more like a mate. You haven't expressed one tidbit of interest in a single girl since _I've known you_. Edward told me you were quite the lady's man before I moved in, but now, where are they! And biggest for me, Emmett, I don't care if you don't find men attractive, but I do care and think that… Emmett, I see the way you look at me sometimes and I have to wonder what you're really thinking—that you see me as more than a best friend. Vampires mate for eternity and I don't think gender matters."

A loud quiet overtook Emmett and I on the roof. I didn't know what else to say, but the silence rang in my ears.

"You feel better?" Emmett asked. He was serious.

"Yeah," I muttered.

"Good. Hey, I'm a no drama-mama, well, a papa, but all the same, at least you got it off your chest." Emmett tried to make it so easy. "But I have to be honest with you: I don't want you like that. I'm sorry."

"Want?" I threw back at him with pure unadulterated vitriol. "I'm so passed 'want' that it makes my bloodless body boil. What does 'want' even mean?" I had to get away from him. I turned from him and walked towards the side of the school. There were no windows on that side ergo no one looking to see a student jumping off a several-storied building. I was about to hop off when I felt Emmett's fingers grabbed grab my wrist. He spun me around and I was face to face with _my_ claimed mate. Too bad he didn't claim me back.

"Hey, don't go," he implored. I hesitated before I responded. The energy passed from Emmett's hand through my wrist and into my body. My left eye stuttered from the pleasure, which didn't go unnoticed by Emmett. "Oh, sorry." He let go.

I looked down at my wrist. "You can't tell me that you didn't feel that… _connection_," I whispered, almost inaudibly even by vampire standards.

He never responded.

Taking that as my cue to leave I turned away from Emmett and hopped off the building into the grass with grace. I walked toward the woods and once the woods were at my back I was off in a fury. I didn't know where I was going.


	10. Ch 10: The Morning After

The dawn was about to hit and I had the best seat on the Olympic Peninsula. In that moment, I was happy where I was: Mount Olympus. Surrounded by water on three sides, the peninsula offered awesome water features for the sun to rise and fall over. At the rate the light intensity was increasing, I knew the sun would break over the horizon in 2.365 minutes.

I smelled Rosalie and Alice before I saw them. I pulled myself out of the snow to greet them as they whirled before me. Rosalie hesitated. I could tell she didn't know what to say. Her and Emmett were close so this was going to be awkward.

"Logan, your eyes." Rosalie frowned and pointed to my two very blood-red eyes.

"Frowning isn't pretty," I whispered, trying to make a joke. I failed miserably.

"I wonder why they don't turn gold? You certainly have drained enough deer, elk, and bears to qualify as a vegetarian," Rosalie suggested. It had been months since I had last feasted on a human and when I lost control of my eyes, they never turned golden. It saddened me.

Alice turned the tide of the conversation. "I saw you on the roof," she said succinctly. "But I didn't know _that_ was going to occur. Both you and Emmett were, um, changing your minds too fast. I would've stopped you from leaving the cafeteria if…"

I held my hand up to stop Alice. She saw _that_ decision fast enough and stopped talking. I looked away from my sisters and toward the impending dawn. Refusing to make eye contact with them I said, "I had to get it off my chest. I thought it would help me feel better or even maybe, Emmett would feel the…" I didn't finish. Even the words, the thought, the wish was too much for me to even utter at this moment. I felt sick. "Who else knows, you know, _everything_?"

Alice muttered, "Only Edward and me."

Rosalie interjected then. "Logan, everyone else knows something is up at least. I know Emmett enough that something _big_ is up. He tries to hide it, which means it's big."

"What happened after I left?" I asked.

"Esme gave a verbal berating to the principal over the whole guidance counselor thing and then we left. Emmett was tight-lipped in the car, which gave him away. Carlisle came home from the hospital and the silence in the house spoke louder than words. He thought that someone had a slip up at parent-teacher conferences," Alice explained.

"What about Esme?" I thought that for some reason Esme knew everything. Mothers were like that and Esme, I knew, knew me better than I knew myself.

"She knows, but won't ask. I think she knows that this has to work itself out on its own. It was like this when Carlisle suggested that I mate with Edward and later with Emmett. I won't lie to you, a strange cloud will permeate the house for now," Rosalie cautioned.

"Rose!" Alice began. "This is way different than you and Edward or Emmett. Nobody expressed the interest or feelings that Logan does for Emmett. This is going to be way different." Alice was right.

"Great…" Rosalie said to herself.

"Look Rose, I'm sorry for causing this situation, but it is what it is." I was incensed at Rosalie's narcissism.

"It's just," Rosalie started, but Alice waved her off.

"Rose, don't," Alice advised.

"No, he has to know." Rosalie could be so headstrong. "Logan, what made you think he would reciprocate? I couldn't tell you the amount of _females_ that he's been with granted none of them stuck. Did you know that he's had 'relations' with Irina on a thousand occasions?"

I fought the urge to growl. "But it doesn't change how I feel and how I feel when I'm around him. It's like there is this connection. His proximity and especially his touch sets my heart, body, and soul alight. I can't concentrate when I'm around him because there is this electricity that courses through my body. It so distracting."

Rosalie picked some dirt out of her nail. "If I would have known this would happened, I would not have gone alone with the others. I just thought you just had like, a crush."

Meanwhile, Alice was observing a very interesting boulder over her shoulder. I knew she had something to say. It was written all over her crinkled brow. I stared at her until she opened her mouth to speak. "Logan, is it like your body is getting a massage, but no one is touching you? Like your eternally relaxed, but tense—all at the same time."

I nodded. It was all the communicated need for Alice to begin searching the future for an outcome that wouldn't break my heart. She walked away to be alone with her thoughts. Perhaps she was trying to protect me from the grimace that was taking over her face. The future didn't look well.

"What?" Rosalie was still stuck on the massage thing. It would be confusing for her. She had never been in love, true love that is. She never really loved that human man that destroyed her life. She just didn't know it at the time.

"Yeah and it sucks. I can't be around him without getting drunk it seems." I knew that much was a sure bet.

"Then what will you do?" Rosalie asked. "You're not going to leave, are you?"

"The thought did cross my mind, but where would I go? At least being miserable here is better than being miserable and alone. I mean—I am alone, but…"

"You're not alone…" Rosalie grabbed me in a hug, which surprised me. Rosalie wasn't the most affectionate vampire on the block. I appreciated it all the same.

We raced down the mountain and into the house. Esme and Carlisle were conversing in the kitchen, but they stopped when I jumped out of the tree and _through_ the kitchen window. I opened it for Alice and Rosalie who popped in.

"Hey guys," I said timidly as I walked passed them. Rosalie and Alice stayed behind. I turned quickly to look at them and everyone seemed to be biting their tongues. I continued to my destination: my room. I need a hot shower and to get ready for school. I came around the corner and saw Edward standing in his room immersed in a book.

I continued around another corner and _his_ scent increased exponentially. And there he was… Sitting on the floor outside my bedroom door. He got up and straightened himself out.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey," I replied and walked past him. I walked into my room and Emmett would have followed if I didn't close my door in his face. I stood there for a minute refusing to move. Emmett did the same. Eventually, Emmett walked away and I heard him walk down stairs. I shook myself out of it and entered my bathroom. The scalding water felt great on my depressed skin.

I would have stayed there all day, but Rosalie busted herself into my bathroom, covering her eyes of course. "Hurry up, we don't want to be late to school."

"Fuck school," I replied curtly.

"Language!" I heard Esme say from the kitchen below.

"Sorry, Esme."

Rosalie started to tap her foot. I shut off the water and grabbed a towel to dry off. I wrapped the towel around my torso and exited the shower. I met Rosalie's eyes, but she said nothing. Walking into my bedroom I saw none other than Emmett Cullen sitting on my bed with his head down and his hand cupped in the other.

"Can I help you?" I tried to say softly, but as soon as I finished I noticed the sarcasm all too much.

Emmett raised his head and gave me a once over with his eyes. I saw his eyes darken and he hesitated. He probably felt uncomfortable with me being just a towel after "the conversation." I put my hands on my hips and waited until he spoke.

"Nah, I'm good," Emmett said.

"Well, you'll pardon me while I get dress for another wonderful day." I grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him up and out of the room.

I closed the door when he started to say, "But what about…"

_Click!_ The lock would never hold a vampire especially one so huge and muscular like Emmett Cullen, but the symbol wasn't lost on anyone in the house. I knew this because the house was dead silent.

"He was talking about me," Rosalie said as she sat at my desk.

I rubbed my hands together trying to get the paralyzing electricity out of them. The more it dissipated, the more I wanted it back. I looked up at Rosalie and mouthed the words, "Even when I'm hurt and mad, I can't even touch him. He affects me so much. "

Rosalie responded with raised eyebrows.

I walked into my closet to pull clothes out. Rosalie joined me and before I could object to her presence, she mouthed, "Please, I'm going to make you look fierce."

"Are you on Team Logan then?" I mouthed back.

A wink was Rosalie's only response. She did make me look fierce. She proceeded to dress me in nothing more than a royal blue v-neck and a pair of brand new jeans, which she surreptitiously tore at key locales to create the illusion they were old jeans. Both were tight in exactly the right places.

I felt a little underdressed given that the Olympic Peninsula in late October wasn't the warmest or driest place. I was about to voice my concern, but Rosalie put her finger to my lips and said, "No, the shirt stays. It color shows off your eyes and the 'v' of your torso."

I looked down at my well-defined muscles and had an errant thought. "You mean man-cleavage?" I laughed a little.

"Fat men have that!" Rosalie corrected, but let out a giggle.

I gathered up my stuff and went down to the garage to see Edward and Jasper in the back of the Mustang and Alice in the front-passenger seat. Good insurance that Emmett wouldn't join me in the Mustang for the first time in months.

Rosalie came up behind me and I asked her, "Team Logan?" She backhanded me as she passed and jumped into the Emmett's jeep.

I got into my Mustang and backed it out into the garage.

Emmett barreled out of the house and into the garage, but stopped. He and I made eye contact for a second before I took off. I heard Rosalie say, "Come one big boy. Drive me to school."

The ride to school was obviously different than it had ever been. I didn't like it, but at the same time it provided me sanctuary from Emmett. As much as I wanted to be near him, my family knew I needed to be away from him. And this is how I knew my family had my back. They had Emmett's back too, but it was okay. I didn't want Emmett to be ostracized by any means, but I too didn't want that fate either.

Emmett passed me on the highway into town and when he parked in the student lot, I made it a point to park elsewhere. Little did I know that I had parked in Nate Farling's spot. As I got out of the Mustang, Nate drove up in his truck honking and throwing expletives that would make Esme's ears bleed. I did the only thing I could think of, I flipped him the bird with one hand and hit the lock button on my key fob with my other hand. The horn beeped and it told the onlookers that shit was going to go down. If fucking Nate Farling wanted to throw down today, then I would quite literally destroy him. He picked the wrong fucking day to mess with a fucked up vampire.

Nate jumped out of his truck and got right into my face. "Move your piece of junk out of my spot or I'm going to move it for you."

I could have bit his face off.

Before I had the chance though, Emmett's hand separated Nate and I. "Back off Nate," Emmett commanded. His temple was throbbing.

Let out an exasperated sigh. "Emmett, I got this."

I snapped my fingers to get Nate's attention. His temple was throbbing too. I had enough of this steroid-infused asshole. "Listen, Natey, I parked here first and I don't see a sign for 'roid Rogers' parking only. If you'd like, I can go inquire in the athletic office about the school's policy on steroid use. Perhaps they can issue out the sign!"

A crowd started to form around us and Nate knew I had him. I warned him, "And if there is so much as a scratch on my car when I leave today, you and I will re-visit our encounter in the woods. Speaking of which, how is your shoulder? Big game this weekend!"

Two sides of Nate's brain were duking it out for supremacy. One side wanted to (try to) kick my ass. And the other side, the more rational side, said to keep the steroids a secret, play in the upcoming game, and therefore, he needed to walk away in the here and now.

I raised my eyebrow. "Have a nice life, dumbass." I turned my back to him and made my way to the stairs.

Nate would have thrown a punch at the back of my head had a few teachers weren't making their way toward the crowd to see what was going on. Emmett left Nate too and caught up with me.

"Hey…" Emmett tried to start, but I cut him off.

"Emmett, I don't need a hero," I spat.

School went by quickly for a change. I was successful at giving Emmett the cold shoulder the whole day and even in gym. I had played it cool around him with only one no-so minor hiccup. After gym, to continue the human façade, Edward, Emmett, and I would always shower in the boys locker room. Today, I needed the normalcy so I took a shower as well. After I finished, I came back to my stuff in the locker room and Emmett had conveniently perched himself right next to me. He disrobed in a flash and the steam that permeated the room gave him a moist sheen. He just sweating sex. My eyes betrayed me when they phased to red and then black. Black equaled lust—either blood or sexual. It was definitely the latter.

Emmett let me know that he knew as well with a little wink and a huge smile. His dimples came out to say hello to.

What the hell!

"Agreed," Edward said from the other side of the locker room.

Anger flooded through me. Why is Emmett torturing me like this? I thought about what he had said on the roof: "_I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable._" Yeah, right. Is this how it was going to be? Him being beautiful and me being pathetic, pining over something, someone I could never have? So many questions; I'm sick of questions!

Emmett walked into the shower area and I quickly got dressed and packed my bag. As I walked out of the locker room, I ran into Alice, who too was smiling brilliantly. I had enough of smiles too.

"Want to get out of here?" Alice was twirling the keys to my Mustang in her finger.

_How the hell did she get those?_ I wondered.

Edward walked by and intentionally bumped into my shoulder.

Yep, I had my answer.

"Just don't stand there," Alice chirped. "He's getting out of the shower as we speak!"

Yep, and that is all I needed to get the hell out of there.

We took a quick gander around the gym. All the humans were busy doing what humans do (_e.g._, breath, sweat, and whine), so Alice and I ran like the vampires we were out the door and into the Mustang.

I was going to protest the seating arrangement—I didn't like not driving my Mustang—but Alice cut me off. "You would drive over a cliff. I've already seen it."

"I would not!" I challenged as Alice sped out of the student parking lot.

Alice nodded knowingly. Oh, geez. I'm such a sap.

Alice drove us north to Port Angeles. There wasn't anything for us to do so we drove down to the harbor and watched the boats and ferries scurry about. We sat perched on the hood of the Mustang, both of us were musing in our own little worlds.

"What should I do?" I thought out loud.

"He loves you, Logan," Alice said without looking at me.

I was incredulous. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. He does."

"What do you mean? What have you seen?" Silently, I thanked God for Alice's abilities.

"I haven't seen anything," Alice said. "At least nothing that should be of concern to you."

Then I cursed Alice for not sharing. She was lying.

"Well, okay…" I mused. "How about this—what should I do?"

"Force his hand. Force him to love you back. He's your soul mate. He doesn't love you like a friend. It's more than that.

Forcing Emmett's hand seemed impossible. I mean, I practically threw myself on him last night. One would think that if the other felt the same, he would reciprocate. Emmett didn't. He didn't even seemed fazed by the whole thing. "_I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable._" Emmett's fucking words blasted through my ears again. Damn him!

"Yep, force his hand," Alice said again. "And you'll get your chance… now."

And there was Emmett's scent. The damn fellow followed us all the way up here. I watched him walk at a human's pace down the side walk. When he approached, he held out his hand to me. His face was expressionless, unreadable. I didn't know what he wanted, but Alice did. She pulled my car keys out of her pocket and handed them to Emmett. He turned away and buckled himself into the driver's seat. Did I mention that I hated when others drove _my_ Mustang? Emmett honked the horn and I jumped off the hood. Alice knew it was coming and just giggled to herself.

As I opened the door to the passenger side, I pulled the front seat forward so Alice could hop in the back. I may be pissed as hell at Emmett, but there was no way that I was going to sit in the backseat of my own fucking car. I was just too stubborn for that. Besides, the animal could mess up my settings. He already did too. He was adjusting the mirrors. As if he needed mirrors in the first place. At least Alice would be in the car to break the tension that was already seathing out of the car.

"Yeah, no," Alice said as she walked past me and towards the street. "I'm going hunting. Have a nice ride." She turned around to meet my angered face.

I was shooting daggers out of each eye.

Alice's gaze told me what she was thinking. If I didn't know better, I would've believed I had a mind scanner suddenly.

_Force his hand_, she thought to me.

Yeah, well, what the fuck does that mean?

I groaned loudly and got into the vehicle with Emmett. The car was swirling in his scent so I did my best to not breath.

"Where to boss?" Emmett asked.

I folded my arms. "Anywhere."

Nothing was said in the car until we entered Ocean Shores, which was on the other side of Forks. Emmett drove us to a park near the woods and shut off the car. After a five-minute lull, Emmett spoke first, "Why are you being a douche bag to me?"

I wanted to laugh, but I also wanted to keep my icy exterior.

"What? You aren't going to talk to me now? You know, that hurts, a lot," Emmett admitted.

Oh great, _I was totally being the douche bag_. Hurting Emmett was the last thing I wanted no matter how I felt.

"Fine. Here." Emmett took the keys out of the ignition and put them in my lap. He got out my car and started to walk away.

"Wait," I said under my breath. He acquiesced. I got out of the car and into the cold wind. "I can't change how I feel and I'm sorry for that. I wish we could just go back before I blew it and told you."

Emmett turned to face me. "It was hurting you more keeping it bottled up. This is the aftermath, the morning after. It sucks now, but in the long run, you'll feel better. I'm sure."

"Morning after?" I almost laughed at the sexual overtone. Jeez, even when I was at my worst with him, he still could make me laugh, or try to at least.

"Well yeah, now the awkward seeps into the friendship. Our goal is not allow that. You're still my best friend, Logan," Emmett's voice was full of conviction. He pulled me into a hug and I wanted to melt into him. I kept myself stiff against his body.

"It's not going to be the same," I said into his chest.

"No, it'll be better," Emmett responded.

"I'm sorry about the way I've acted today. I'm just going to take sometime to get used to the fact you know how I feel about you. I'm probably going to behave weirdly and I'm sorry about that."

"I can take it," Emmett said.

"You drove us all the way down here just for a five minute conversation?" I asked.

"I waited for you to make the first move. You didn't so I stopped here and forced the issue. Besides, the drive back hopefully will be full of normal conversation so I'm happy we have a long drive."

"Yeah, well I'm driving. This is my baby remember?"


	11. Ch 11: Last Dance

Life wasn't back to normal, but in front of the family it appeared normal. Only Edward would've known how I was feeling. Wait, Jasper knew too. He was as lusty as ever, which meant that Alice knew. Ah, shit. They probably all knew in some form or fashion. Crap. There wasn't anything I could do though. I couldn't help how I felt.

It was Friday at the Cool Kids Table and Rosalie suggested that we all go to Seattle for the weekend for a change of pace.

Emmett was all about it. "There's a Seahawks game on Sunday! I'll get tickets. Who is in?"

I had to actively remind myself of the friend zone in which I existed. The boundaries felt like they were tight in place and I could no longer peer over the fence at the option that was Emmett, the mate. I don't like tight places. Maybe this is because I grew up in the wide open spaces of farm country. Whatever the reason, I hated this zone, but I also knew that I had accepted it when Emmett and I agreed, implicitly at least, to not let the "awkward" seep into the friendship. It already had, but we just pretended that it didn't.

I signed internally and answered Emmett's question aloud. "I'm in."

Jasper nodded as well.

Neither girl nor Edward jumped at the Emmett's suggestion, but that was to be expected. Rosalie and Alice would much rather buzz through the mall. And Edward would much rather get lost in the classical section of his favorite music store.

"It supposed to be sunny on Sunday," Alice predicted. Ugh, of all the days in cloudy Washington, this Sunday would be sunny.

_Poor Emmett_, I thought. I might be pissed at the man (for one reason or another), but that didn't extinguish my empathy for him, ever.

After Gym, I took my free period as an early start to the weekend and as I walked out into the parking lot. I walked past Nate and a group of his friends. In fact, I gave him a wide birth, which is saying a lot considering I almost killed him the other day. He was leaning against his truck giving his audience an engrossing story of his latest exploit on the lady front. I fought the urges to laugh and vomit (not that anything would come up) in succession. Nate must've seen my minor fit because he stopped his oration about what it was like to get Lauren Mallory up the butt and threw a comment about my family's penchant for incest. I rolled my eyes and kept walking. I guess it was Nate's lucky day.

As I jumped into my Mustang, I peered back at Nate, who had now moved his story onto his intended bang of the weekend: a freshman girl named Julia. He was supposed to pick her up for a dinner date tonight, but he was expecting a payout from his investment in dinner. A blowjob would suffice. I raised my eyebrows in annoyance and disgust. He wouldn't be going on his date if he didn't have his truck. The devil on my shoulder leapt for joy as I searched out the gas tank on Nate's truck. Finding my target, I aged the fuel inside and turned into a sticky gunk. _He'll get quite the surprise when he turns on his vehicle, the asshole._ I briefly considered staying to watch his new problem unfold, but thought better of it. I didn't need to be any where near him when he started to rage.

I turned the key and brought my baby to life. It was time for the weekend, whatever it had in store for me.

I was in my room in no time packing a bag for the weekend. I wanted to get the packing over with before Alice came home. I knew she would try to change the outfits I picked out so I would make sure to keep my bag tight underneath my arm up until we left Forks.

Esme nor Carlisle seemed particularly interested in accompanying us kids. This became especially obvious when they each realized that they would have the entire house to themselves for a whole forty-eight hours. I shuddered at the thought of what _that_ meant. Yuck.

I finished packing way too early so I sat on the couch in the living room and waited for the rest of my family to get home and pack. I opened a book to give the illusion I was reading it, but in reality, I let myself stew about Emmett. I still hadn't concluded why he got to me so much.

I mean, it was torturous to see Emmett even talk to a girl—a human one at that. Jealousy would consume me and it would make my nonexistent blood boil. And it's not Emmett necessarily, well, okay, it is, but it's also the reactions he elicits from those damn girls. Their hearts race, their skin flushes, and I swear I smelled that damn Lauren Mallory's… arousal… the other day. Fucking ew! Emmett knows this reaction too and does he stop it? Of course not. If I were Logical Logan, it would be obvious that he's just being polite or using his vampiric nature to get what he wants. But I'm never Logical Logan when Emmett Cullen is involved, which probably meant I looked like a loser. Yep, that sounded right: Loser Logan.

And it's not just girls. Emmett can play the man's man and the good ole boy roles far too easily. This shouldn't make me jealous because, again, Emmett's just using his vampiric nature. But of course, my overactive brain—thank you vampire venom—thinks it sees more than there is. Where Emmett gives a high five to the boys in gym for winning the volleyball game… I see hand jobs; his hand, doing its job, on me. Ugh, my mind is in gutter whenever Emmett Cullen is involved. And there we have _me_ again… Loser Logan.

And this weekend getaway didn't help matters at all because it would be the first thing he and I have done outside the normal school-hunt-avoid sunlight-school-hunt-avoid fornicating family members-school routine. Routines were good. Routines weren't awkward. Routines were safe.

…

We checked into our hotel and Alice decided to force all six of us to go to the most chic nightclub in Seattle. She really didn't have to force me. I needed let lose some of the stress I had been carrying and dancing my ass of sounded like the best prescription.

"Where's Jasper?" I yelled! I was running through my outfit options and cursing myself for not picking anything better. I wanted to rummage through Jasper's stuff because he and I were somewhat the same size. Emmett was out of the question and I didn't want to ask either. Edward was too stocky. My biceps would have ripped his shirts. Wait… _Alice?_

As if on cue, Alice flitted into my room and threw a white v-neck shirt and yet another pair of pre-ripped jeans onto my bed. Note to self: always trust the fashion pixie. She'll never steer you wrong.

I was switching my shirts when Rosalie, who was looking absolutely beautiful, as always, came into my room and sat on the bed.

"So where is Jasper?" I hadn't seen him since we checked in hours ago.

"He's running an errand for Alice," Rosalie said. I saw a faint glint in her eyes, which pissed me off. I hated being out of the-know. Come to think of it, the ride to Seattle had been rather awkward even giving the current status of my nonexistent love life. I guess I hadn't noticed during the ride over because I was too excited to get out of Forks for the first time in ages. Throughout the ride, the loud and obnoxious Alice was quiet. Edward just beamed from the driver's seat and that was scary in and of itself. Brooding Edward was normal. All this behavior led me to conclude there was some prediction that was holding Alice's attention. That idea scared me. Alice was enamored with her visions right now, but then again she wasn't mortified either. This purgatory sucked massively.

Alice was unwavering in her constitution that each one of the Cullen brethren look amazing for the club tonight so she moved our departure time back a total of three times in order to primp each one of us. Like we needed fancy clothing or accessories. Our inhuman beauty along with our alluring scent was sufficient to create a spotlight on each one of us. Five minutes before our last agreed-upon departure time, Jasper waltzed into our suite smelling like the forest.

I was sitting on the couch in the living room and yelled, "Have you been hunting all this time?"

"Yes," Jasper said quickly, too quickly.

I narrowed my eyes and stared at him until he disappeared into his and Alice's room. I heard no voices so I peered through the wall to see what communication they WERE engaged in.

Jasper was giving Alice a thumbs up.

WHAT THE HELL!

One by one, my siblings took a seat near me on the couch. The last two—Edward and Emmett—were nowhere to be found.

Alice perked up then. "The limo is here and our names are on the VIP list."

"Thank you, Miss Cleo," I spat. I didn't even want to go any more. This not knowing was chewing away at me.

Rosalie started to tap her foot impatiently.

I too was becoming impatient. I got up and broke down Edward's door, figuratively of course. "Ready?"

He nodded.

"Great!" I said sarcastically. _Ugh, now Emmett…_

I crossed the hallway to Emmett's room, but before I could figuratively break down his door, he yelled that it was open.

Opening the door, I came upon a very shirtless Emmett. What would Logical Logan do? Not divert my eyes. What would Loser Logan do? Divert my eyes in a shameful attempt to pretend I wasn't interest. Surprising myself, Logical Logan took over. I put my hands on my hips and without breaking eye contact with his (scrumptious) body, I asked if he was ready.

"Yeah," Emmett responded. He walked over to his suitcase and pulled two very simple shirts out, one red and one black. "Which one?" he asked.

Without missing a beat, I said, "Black. It makes you look fierce, but not in an intimidating way."

"But I like to intimidate," Emmett said with a half smile. He pulled the black shirt over his head and down his torso. My eyeballs were taking high definition pictures every nanosecond and committing the images to my memory, permanently.

We were quiet for a hot minute. The tension in the room was hard to miss.

Emmett threw his wallet into his back pocket and put on his Cullen wrist cuff. "How do I look?"

I looked him over again. I failed to see any flaws save one: a crease that ran down the center of his shirt from where it was previously folded. I didn't know what came over me in that moment, but I approached him. I pointed to the crease, but instead of smoothing it out himself, he allowed me to do it. Ever so slowly, I ran my fingers down the indentation between his pecs. I had to push hard so the crease would flatten out. And where I touched, and even through the layer of clothing, I felt the all to familiar electricity bursting from my fingers. It pulsed through my arm and up and down my back. Emmett's golden eyes followed my fingers I crossed over into the valleys and ridges of his washboard abs. I too kept my eyes on my fingers as they flattened the crease. I passed the indentation of his navel and my breathing momentarily hitched. It was like I crossed a barrier that I had not been allowed to cross before. Finally, I bumped into Emmett's belt buckle with a resounding "tink." I pulled my fingers to my side and surveyed Emmett's shirt. No crease. Perfect.

Time seemed to speed up all of a sudden. I didn't make eye contact with him and instead turned and left the room. "Let's go. The limo is here."

As I walked down the hallway to meet my siblings again, my head was silent. No stress, no happiness, no lust, no anger. Where was I? That was the only question that consumed my existence.

I stopped in the living room and my siblings gathered their things. As we walked out the door to the elevator, I sensed _his_ presence behind me. I didn't care for the first time. I didn't care what I looked like and whether it was pleasing to him. I didn't care about Alice's visions. I didn't care about what we were doing or who we were.

I stood next to Rosalie in the elevator. It was the first time I became aware that she was staring at me. It was almost like she was orbiting me or defending me. Was there supposed to be a gunman on the ground floor? I laughed at the thought.

"Something funny?" Jasper asked.

The elevator slowed and the doors opened. We made our way through the lobby and down to a freshly waxed, black limousine. The ride over to the club was swift and everyone (but me) expressed excitement for the night—even Edward. He said that even he could enjoy new music sometimes. Was he saying that for my benefit?

The limo pulled up to the club. There was quite the fanfare. There was even a red carpet that lead directly from the limo to the front door. To either side were lines of clubbers waiting to get in. I felt kind of like a movie star. I heard the clubbers whisper things like they wished they were us, why were we so important, and that we were so beautiful. Meh.

The bouncer, who was larger than even Emmett, gave Alice a big smile when he found our names on the list. He didn't even both to card us when he lifted the velvet rope for us. That was easy.

The club was split in two parts, a chic relaxed part in the front with modern couches and armchairs, and a dance floor part in the back with strobe lights and a live DJ. The thump-thump of the music called me out like the Sirens of Greek mythology. I grabbed Rosalie by the hand and pulled her through the crowd. Once we got a good pace on, everyone began to part for us. Our looks were doing this.

I pulled Rosalie into the middle of the dance floor and again, everyone parted for us. I was a modern day Moses. I started to shake my hips to the beat and Rosalie did the same. I'm sure we looked like professional dancers. It was just too easy to flow to the music. The beats, measures, and time were all easy enough to memorize and predict.

Before we knew it, the rest of the family had joined us on the dance floor—even Edward. He had quite the moves for being such an old soul. I looked around for _him_, but he was not on the dance floor with us. Where the hell was _he_? He was missing quality family bonding time, after all. I surveyed the dance floor and also the sitting area.

Alice came up to me and grabbed my hand. I twirled her about and she squealed in delight. I could do two things at once though. I danced and searched. Alice grabbed my other hand and forced it around her hip. I dipped her and asked where Jasper was. Alice pointed to Rosalie, who had Jasper around her hips. Okay, that was awkward. I twirled Alice outward and as I pulled her back to me, I twirled on the balls of my feet. Mocking Alice made me laugh. She shook her head in mock annoyance but pulled my hand so I would spin again. As I did my three-sixty, I noticed _he_ was in the DJ box… with the DJ.

He was giving the very attractive DJ his signature smile… dimples and all. He was talking to her about something, but from my angle, I couldn't read his lips. He gave her a high five and laughed. _Okay, that wasn't that bad_, I thought to myself. Then, he whispered into her ear and she giggled. _Okay, she was bad._ She pulled him down to her height and whispered something. _Damn, I wish I were Edward._ I looked around for Edward on the dance floor. He was right behind me. He gave me an unsure and apologetic face. _What?_

I turned back around to find _Emmett_ kissing the DJ…

My world went dark and I about collapsed on the dance floor. If Alice weren't a vampire, she would have been crushed by my sudden inability to fight gravity. She pulled me up and looked horrified. She whispered, "Logan, your eyes."

I pulled away from Alice and rushed to the bathroom. I walked a little too fast for what should've been a human's pace and it caught Emmett's eye. He slinked down from the DJ's box and met me as I stepped off the dance floor.

"Logan, what's the matter," he asked coyly. As if he didn't know… Asshole.

When I didn't stop, Emmett grabbed my wrist. I didn't meet his gaze, but instead growled very loudly. Exposure clearly wasn't on my mind in that the moment. Fuck this, fuck them, fuck them all. Emmett knew better than to hold onto a pissed vampire. He could lose a hand and I could make it disappear… permanently.

I stalked off to the bathroom. I didn't know why that was my destination. Something about my eyes?

The men's room was long and narrow. Urinals and toilets graced one wall while sinks and mirrors were strewn out on the other. Only few humans were in there and even in my state, I knew them to be either drunk as skunks or high as fuck. I walked up to the nearest mirror and I saw a pair of blood red eyes. I wanted to scream! Animal blood had no affect on me! WHAT THE HELL!

"Your eyes," Emmett said. He stood next to me and saw through the mirror to my dilemma. "What happened?"

I fumed for a hot second. _What had happened?_

"Logan!" Emmett pleaded.

Through gritted teeth, I tried to speak as calmly as I could. "I saw you kiss her."

"Who? The DJ? That was nothing! I was just getting her to play some songs." Emmett's answer sounded like what a high schooler would say when his girlfriend found out he had to spend seven minutes in heaven with the girlfriend's best friend. How old was Emmett again?

I turned to face Emmett directly. All that poured off of him was concern and worry. Ordinarily, I would find it endearing, but right now, all I wanted to do was rip him to shreds.

Eventually, I was able to regain some composure. "I can't do this, Emmett. I can't."

"Do what?" he asked.

"What happens when you find your soul mate? What then? Do you think I can stand by and witness it and survive? I can't. I won't."

"The DJ was nothing! Logan, it won't ha…" Emmett tried to talk, but I cut him off.

"Happen? EMMETT, YOU DON'T KNOW THAT! And I can't live with that possibility or at least I can't live near you with that possibility. I'd rather live through an eternity of the change before that possibility."

"Now you're exaggerating," Emmett tried to joke.

"EMMETT! NOT THE TIME!" I yelled. "Seriously, I can't do it. I can't stay with you and the rest of the Cullens. It tears at my heart every second of every day. I tried to convince myself I could do it. I can't. I have to leave for my own sanity."

"What?" Emmett exclaimed. "You're not serious! Think about Esme. It will kill her too."

I sighed. "I could even live through that over this purgatory you force me to live in today. The possibility that you'll find someone else tomorrow is just too much to deal with. And the worst part of it all, see, I don't think that you'll find that someone. I think you have already found your soul mate, but you're too ignorant of the possibility it was me! So we're both stuck, and alone."

"Logan, I…" Emmett couldn't finish. He didn't know what to say. He gritted his teeth and hunched over the sink.

"I'm going to go back out there for one last dance." I left him in the bathroom all by himself. I stormed across the dance floor grabbed Alice and Rosalie. They didn't looked shocked and I knew that Alice and Edward had kept everyone apprised of my chat with Emmett. Who could blame them?

Rosalie stopped me midway to the center of the dance floor. "You're not actually leaving, right?"

"I have too." The conviction in my voice startled even me, but I grabbed Rosalie's hand and met Alice on the dance floor for one more dance. The DJ made some announcements and then started up the music again. Refusing to let Emmett ruin my night any more than he had, I decided I might as well dance my ass off. It is all I had to look forward to. Perhaps I could impress some other guy in this club and make Emmett jealous. How vain would that attempt be?

I couldn't believe I wasted all that time. If I had to show him something like that, that he had his soul mate, something so obvious to everyone else, it probably wasn't worth my time. I started to step to the beat of the song. It sang to my wounded, dead heart. I spun to the beat and grabbed Rosalie's hand. I brought her into a spin and dipped her. She laughed. I joined her, if only half-heartedly.

I slid myself into the middle of a large circle of dancers. They gave me some space to show my stuff. I surveyed the group and found a guy, who was decent looking, checking me out. I pulled him into the center with me. He tried to lead, but I wanted him to follow. He wasn't being very cooperative so I left him and made my way back to the center of the dance floor where Alice and Rosalie were stationed.

Bright lights flashed all around me. I took myself into overdrive, closed my eyes and flowed flawlessly to the music. My body was speaking all the words that I couldn't. I didn't even notice that the nasty ass guy had approached me this time. Before I could stop it, we were grinding a bit too much for my personal bubble handle. I was having a personal moment and this dude was grinding his hardon against me. _Sorry bud, try in another life. _After I smelled the poppers in his nose, I tried to detach from him, but he grabbed onto my arms and held me. I just swayed with him. His rhythm was poor. He probably thought it was good as mine owing to the drug-induced stupor he was enjoying.

I closed my eyes again trying to avoid the human dancing with me. Where were Rosalie and Alice? _Save me!_

…

…

…

I felt a hand on my shoulder. Alice? I turned around to see the darkest eyes of onyx on the gigantic frame that was Emmett. His face was so pained that it would've made angels cry. The human, now dancing behind me, got pissed and tried to get in between Emmett and I. Emmett swatted him to the side like a fly. Why was Emmett in so much pain? My dead heart leapt for him, then, it came alive. I looked at him and was sure, for the first time ever, he saw… me.

I put my hands around his neck and felt his muscles tense. He was feeling the electricity too. He grabbed my waist and pulled me against his oh so hard cock. That was an unexpected surprise. My hips rocked into his as he pulled me closer to him. I moaned as his sweet scent enveloped me. The smell of alcohol, drugs, and sweaty human bodies dissipated. His scent was everywhere. It was my everything.

Emmett slowly ran his finger over my lip and I inhaled sharply and blinked. In the nanosecond that my eyes were closed, I feared Emmett was only a dream. The dream continued when I opened my eyes though. He was still there.

Ours eyes were locked and I pulled myself even closer to him. He slowly began to lower his face to mine. Too slowly. He didn't hesitate, but his speed was too slow. I needed him. I decided to meet him half way. I closed my eyes again and our lips met. Yes, I knew for sure lightening had hit us both. A bolt of pure pleasure erupted up and down my spine. His lips were so soft, so warm. For what felt like an eternity we stayed like this, but I wanted to see him again. This kiss was mind shattering, but his face was equally blissful. I began to pull away from his embrace. He knew what I was doing and gave a little bite to my lower lip. My gaze fell upon him and he blew me away with the most sincere, apologetic, and loving smile I had ever had the privilege and luck to witness. It truly was his atomic weapon.

Emmett held me close. He wasn't going to let go of me. I looked around the dance floor. Not much had changed. Everyone was still dancing save the Cullens. I met each one of their incredulous gazes.

Alice broke the ice first. She approached Emmett and me and said, "Finally!" She hopped up and swatted Emmett in the back of the head.

He growled, but I grabbed at his hip to remind him that I was there and I wasn't going to let go, ever again. His growl turned into a needy whine. He turned to me and I was engrossed in his want and desire myself.

I shook my head and tried to regain some sort of dignity.

Alice just giggled and slid a piece of paper into my pocket. I looked at her with confusion, but she commanded that we just go.

I looked at Emmett and could tell he was in another world, a more carnal, sexual world. I would love to join him, but I thought better of getting down and dirty right here on the dance floor. I grabbed Emmett by the hand and dragged him toward the exit.

As we passed by Edward, Jasper, and Rosalie, Edward and Jasper just smiled. Rosalie was a bit more forward. She shook her head and moved toward my ear. She whispered, "If you hurt him, I'll cut you. I'm just kidding of course, but seriously."

I decided to take that threat in stride. I grinned back at Rosalie and she turned to Emmett and smacked him on the ass. He winced in pain and annoyance.

As we walked out into the cold Seattle night, Emmett was holding my hand so tight that I think he was afraid of losing me. As if I would run away from him now, especially now! He let out another feral growl. He was getting impatient. We needed to get away from these humans though! I saw an alley lead away from the street. If we were lucky, we could sneak down it and then run at top speed out of the city. I dragged Emmett across the street and into the alley. As we came around the corner into the alley, I was stopped in my tracks by a group of gangbangers.

One of the thugs pointed at Emmett and me and said, "Look what we go here, boys! A pair of faggots!"

Emmett's snarl was probably heard on the other side of the planet.

I didn't need this shit right now.

I turned to Emmett and asked, "Do you trust me?"


	12. Ch 12: Do You Trust Me?

_One of the thugs pointed at Emmett and me and said, "Look what we go here, boys! A pair of faggots!" _

_Emmett's snarl was probably heard on the other side of the planet. _

_I didn't need this shit right now._

_I turned to Emmett and asked, "Do you trust me?" _

Emmett's eyes flew to mine. They were full of anger and rage, but I saw a glint of lust too, sexual lust, that is. He blinked once and regained control. He acquiesced with a nod. Then, for the first time since we had kissed on the dance floor, I let go of his hand. All I wanted to do was grab that hand and never let go.

Now, it was because I couldn't hold his hand that I became pissed, not the dumb ass human's choice in words. I thought about killing them for a brief moment, but my conscious, clearly channeling Carlisle, cautioned otherwise. Well, just because I wouldn't kill them didn't mean I wouldn't play with them. They were merely humans after all.

I walked toward the humans and the smell of drugs, beer, and cigarettes overwhelmed my oversensitive nose. They probably won't remember me the tomorrow, they were that high. A smile crept across my face.

"What'chu smiling at, faggot?" a human said. He pulled out a six-pack of beer bottles, cracked one open, and took a swig. He tossed the other beers to his cronies acting as if I was just a bystander. He was _so_ tough. Yeah, right.

I wanted to laugh, but after a quick glance back to Emmett, I decided against it. He was beyond rage right now. (He was also fucking hot when he's pissed). The only thing holding him back was his promise to trust me.

Another one of the humans started to taunt me with a few more hurtful curses. If he hit the proper trigger, even I couldn't stop Emmett from ripping every last one of their throats out.

From my side, I sensed the approach of one of the humans. My peripheral vision told me he was about the height of Emmett, but fat and balding. Clearly, his mom kept him on whole milk his entire life. She probably poured him a glass this morning. I met his eyes with my own as he put on a pair of brass knuckles. I raised my brow in pure insolence. _Bring it_, I say in my head. The memory of my first run-in with Nate crossed my mind then. Nate pushed me into the lockers and I had to play human there. I don't have to play human here, for the most part anyways.

The human is close now and he took a painfully slow swing at my face with his metal-ladened hand. I'm sure it seemed fast for him and his buddies, but I thought I could start (and finish) a cross-stitch pattern in the time it took his brass knuckles to meet my face. With what sounded like a pickaxe on granite, the human's finger bones shattered and my face remained smooth as ever.

"AH, FUCK!" the human screamed as he nursed his hand. "You fucking retard!"

The human tried to punch me again, this time using his other hand. I ducked under his punch and lightly tapped on the human's knee. The crunch of bone was deafening. I was shocked that he didn't scream this time. Instead, he silently fell down to the ground. He was out cold. How high was this guy?

I sensed the other humans move towards me like a pack of rabid wolves.

I kept my sights on the incapacitated human and growled the deepest warning I could muster. It wasn't all that hard to do—those fucking humans were keeping me from doing dirty things to Emmett after all! They stopped their advance. Their subconscious was trying to warn them to fear me. I surveyed each human over my shoulder and noticed they were still holding their beers. Concentrating on each bottle, I swung my hands together and with a thunderous clap, I shattered them. A mixture of beer and glass rained down on the humans. It would have been comical if one of the humans hadn't slipped in the beer and sliced his hand on shard of glass. Humans were so clumsy.

Emmett and I stumbled a little with the unexpected scent of blood and my bloodlust was triggered instantaneously. I felt my eyes go red and my skin go white. It had been a long time since I smelled fresh, flowing human blood. I was about to pounce on the blood bag when I felt a now-familiar hand on my shoulder.

It was Emmett.

He shook his head and said, "They don't deserve it." He slid his fingers down my torso and my bloodlust shuddered to a halt. He slinked his fingers into my pants pocket and lingered in there for a bit longer than was necessary to pull out the paper Alice shoved in there. I wasn't complaining though.

Emmett unfolded the paper and a set of GPS coordinates was strewn out before us. "Something tells me Alice has conspired a better evening for us than these assholes will give us." He smiled and I felt my skin return to its familiar hue and my eyes turn a brilliant shade of ocean blue. How could this man have so much control over me?

Emmett's smile widened. "Now, babe, I'm sure you can deal with these douche bags in a way equally as painful, but with less of the death part. Yes?" He winked.

I turned back to the aptly-named douche bags. They were still trying to figure out what happened to their beers.

"Dude, whasa fuck you playing at?" one of them yelled as he pulled a gun out of his pocket. He pointed it at Emmett. I knew that the bullet would bounce off him, but I'd be damned if the symbolism didn't get to me. I grabbed the gun with my mind and it flew through the air until it was about a foot above my hand. I stared at the thug who pulled the gun and growled. Slowly, I rubbed my hand together and felt a tightening in my temples. The gun above me compacted itself like a tin can that a vampire stomped on.

I popped the ball into Emmett's hand and said, "Here dear. See if you can score us a home run by getting it to the harbor?"

"I'm not your dear!" Emmett scolded. I tilted my head to the side and then stroked his upper thigh with my mind. His not so subtle gasp was all that I needed to know he _was_ my dear. He regained his composure and whipped the gun into the night. It whistled for a moment and then passed the sound barrier with a boom. About a minute later I heard a gun-sized splash in the salty brine that was Seattle harbor. Emmett definitely scored a home run.

I turned away from Emmett and back to the humans. "Well boys, it has been fun. But I'm gonna go get busy, uh, yeah," I slowed and glanced back at Emmett, "I'm gonna go get busy with my mate."

I snapped my fingers and all six of the humans that were conscious fell to the ground screaming in agony. Detached Achilles' tendons would cause the right amount of pain and disability for the purposes we needed tonight. If anything, I was guaranteeing the jobs of many in the medical profession.

"What did YOU do?" Emmett asked with concerned.

The thugs were too busy screaming in pain to notice me grab a cell phone out of the unconscious human's coat. Several plastic packets of coke popped out too. I made sure to stick those back in his pocket and tore the particles that formed my fingerprints away. No need to have one's prints attached to drugs or thugs when one is playing the role of a human teenager. I flipped the phone open and dialed 911. The phone's emergency lockout activated and I heard the operator start talking on the other line. I muted the phone and hid it under a dumpster (being careful to remove my prints as well). I grabbed Emmett's inviting hand and we flew like the wind out of the city.

Emmett had popped the coordinates into his phone's GPS. We followed the directions all the way into Mount Baker National Forest, northeast of Seattle. It was pretty remote, but when we arrived at our destination, we found a tent on the bank of a small lake. Emmett let go of my hand again and I instantly felt the need to be close to him. He walked toward the lake and stopped at the water's edge. He looked up at the full moon and smiled.

"Penny for your thoughts?" I quipped.

"Pay up!" he insisted. I dug in my pockets to find whatever change I had. A dime would hopefully get me a whole slew of thoughts. I threw it at his head. He whipped around and caught the projectile. His eyes were black as onyx again. I thought his bloodlust was peaking for some reason. No sooner had I had that thought did Emmett have me on the ground. He pushed me hard into the cold dirt with his torso in between my legs. I could feel his lust, sexual lust that was. It was throbbing.

A look of worry passed over his face for a split second. To my quizzical look, he said, "I guess I'm just scared."

I couldn't be mad at him. I just flashed my smile at him and I felt him relax. Well, most of him that is. His dick kept digging into my thigh. I was returning the favor into his scrumptious abs. "Emmett, we'll only go as far as _you are willing_."

Yeah, I didn't need to say that, because Emmett smiled a crooked, mischievous smile. It only got me hot, real hot. Could a vampire suffer from heat stroke? Emmett pushed me down harder into the ground and kissed me passionately. I felt my clothes begin to tear from the friction between us. Before I knew it, my shirt fell off and Emmett's was not looking too good either. Without breaking his attack on my lips, Emmett stood up with my legs straddled around his waist. In that moment I was so glad he was a vampire and his muscles would never tire. I could stay like this forever. My body was shaking in absolute pleasure. Emmett's huge presence was so intoxicating. He pulled away from my lips and started to dot small bites against my neck. My submission to his onslaught was erotic. It was the best symbol of the trust we had. By nature, a vampire's neck was an intimate spot because it was the place one could rip the head of a vampire off. Emmett could do that to me right now. No heads would be coming off tonight except in loud, lustful screams of pleasure though.

Emmett started to walk with me attached to his hips. I felt the cool rush of the lake water envelope me. I moaned loudly when he switched to the other side of my neck. My dick ached for release. Emmett was such a tease. He really wanted to draw this out. Perhaps I could speed it up myself? I started to gyrate my hips. The feeling of our throbbing hardons compounded the pleasure I was having from his kisses. Emmett growled deeply. He too was feeling the pressure on his body. He too was aching for release.

I whispered, "Please Emmett…" It was all I could get out before he met my lips with his. His tongue battled with mine for supremacy. I would let him win because I knew the dominance would give him pleasure. The thought of giving him pleasure gave me pleasure. My need to be with him was multiplied ten times. I whined in nirvana. We continued this dance in the water for what seemed like hours. It was good we were vampires, because if we merely human, the deed would have been done and I would have missed out on the hours of feeling his rock solid body in every possible manner.

I knew my impatience was getting to Emmett. He started to move us out of the water and towards the tent. I got down from him to unzip the tent. Inside, there were two large backpacks, a lantern, and a king size sleeping bag. No sleeping would be occurring in it tonight, but something king size would be _using_ it with me. Emmett. I turned around to see Emmett eyeing me up and down.

I took a first look at what remained of my clothes. I had only one pant leg and my boxer briefs were so torn up, it did a poor job of blocking my hardon. I looked up at Emmett and saw the venom pool in his mouth. I never felt so dirty and sexy at the same time. I popped the jeans off my leg and threw them to ground. I took my time in getting the tent, making sure to shake my ass for Emmett. He growled in frustration. He was having a difficult time with my teasing. _Good payback for earlier, _I thought. I held the tent entrance open for Emmett's huge frame. After he barreled through ever so gracefully I took my time bending down to zip the tent up.

Emmett wasn't having any more of my teasing. He pushed me onto the sleeping bag and ripped the remains of my briefs from me. I had been naked in front of Emmett before, such as in the gym showers, but this was a different, more intimate type of naked. He took a mental picture and smiled. I snapped my fingers to break him out of his reverie. Emmett breathed a huge unnecessary breath and tore the remains of his shirt off. My legs slid next to themselves involuntarily. The feel of skin on skin was having the right reaction. I could feel the precum smearing across my abs. Emmett's show was having the best effect on me. He slowed his hand around his torn pants. This was torturous.

I jumped up and stood just inches from him. He towered above me. Craning his neck he took my lips with his and parted my mouth. Tonsil hockey ensued. I wrapped my arms around his muscular frame. I could feel the strength of his chiseled core as I wrapped my hands in one another near the small of his back. He slowly moved his hand to my cheek and parted our connection. I opened my eyes to meet his. I felt his body go rigid. He was waiting for me, for my next move. I uncapped my hands and slid them down either side of his torso to the waist of his jeans. Without breaking eye contact with him, I slid each thumb between his skin and the band of his undershorts. I slowly explored the contours of his skin all the way to his backside. The choked lust in his eyes grew as I slid my thumbs back to their starting position. I didn't stop there though. I pulled my thumbs across his protruding pelvic bones and towards the core of his sexual frustration.

Emmett could stand it no longer and took the reins in our encounter to my grand satisfaction. In one motion he ripped me from my feet and I straddled his waist again. I could feel his hard erection pushing against my thigh. I became needy and wrapped my arms around his neck and shot my face toward his luscious lips. We kissed again. It felt like the first time all over again. Each new kiss was new and fresh and glorious. I began to pant and shake uncontrollably. Emmett was stroking my thighs and ass as he carried me over to the sleeping bag.

I needed to be with him. I raked the rest of his clothes off, but I backed away and took it all in. There was nothing better at stoking my sexual flames than to see this hunk of man in nothing but his birthday suit. He was strong and confident, but his relaxed demeanor made me the most comfortable with him. Now his demeanor exuding from his crotch was a whole different story.

"Like what you see?" Emmett growled seductively.

My exhale of unnecessary breath was my only response.

I fell back onto the sleeping bag and Emmett quickly closed the distance between us. As he slid in between my legs, I looked down at his throbbing cock, it spewed a wonderfully white liquid. My jaw quivered uncontrollably. He kissed me then and I moaned loudly. My hands started to roam his neck. His soft skin was heavenly. The burgeoning muscle beneath was intoxicating. Emmett started to grind his hips into mine and my need to be with him became excruciating. He moved to my cheek, and then my neck. He stayed there for a while and loved me through my collarbone. Shattering my clear thinking, Emmett moved down from my collarbone to my nipple. He steadied himself on one hand and ran his other hand across my chest, ever so lightly. His hand was warm and I knew I was going to cum if Emmett didn't stop. I had to take control.

I used my ability to flip Emmett onto his back and I atop him. He growled in frustration. It was my turn to worship him. I straddled him and he grabbed my ass. His dick bumped into my ass and I scooted away.

"Not yet," I chided him. I would release control only after pushing him to the brink.

I started to kiss his neck and he began to groan and growl again. I knew I was making my impression. I slid down his torso and spent equal amounts of time on each of his nipples. His breathing hitched when I started to do the alphabet on each of his nipples. When I got to F on his left nipple, Emmett grabbed my shoulder and tried to pull me to his face. I threw his arms to the ground above his head and held them there with my mind. His anger was quickly replaced by whining. I had gotten to R on his nipple. I slowly edged down to his abs. They were so strong and powerful. I licked the contours of his stomach and I enjoyed the wonderful taste of him on my tongue. My eyes had to be black now if they weren't already.

I could see his dick pointing straight up onto his stomach. I brushed it with my chin as I kissed the bottom two abs. Emmett gasped. I glanced up into his face and circled the tip of his dick with my tongue.

"FUCK, LOGAN!" Emmett roared. His legs shook furiously and his body was trembling. He changed his tune really quick. "Please, Logan," he whined.

Who was I to force this any more? I bobbed my mouth all the way down his dick. He was long and his girth was impressive. I didn't expect anything less. I practiced a few times, getting the rhythm down and with Emmett's cussing, I knew I had hat the beat down. I popped off and licked the whole length. Emmett was continuing to throw dirty, raunchy expletives; telling me all the things he was going to do to me. He wanted to get dirty. So that is how Emmett got when he was close. So close.

I was enjoying myself too much. Pleasuring Emmett was getting me close too. It felt so good to be this way. Just Emmett. Just me. I was so enthralled in what I was doing to that I forgot to hold Emmett's hands with my mind. Emmett realized this too and grabbed me and flipped me… hard… onto the sleeping bag. I moaned loudly as Emmett ranked my legs open and replaced the void with his rock hard torso. My legs locked around his hips. I wasn't going to let go. Emmett raced his lips to mine. When Emmett's tongue blasted into my mouth, I swear I came. My scream was mind blowing.

"NO! Not yet!" Emmett roared in my ear. He was licking my ear now.

I grabbed Emmett's ass and pulled him closer to me. His dick hit my rosebud and I felt his precum smear around my hole. His dick was gushing now. He threw my arms up above my head and this time it was my mind that held them there.

My lips quivered. It was my turn to whine. "Fuck me, Emmett. Please!" I could barely speak, Emmett had me so overwhelmed. I had to be drunk and he sober because he controlled me so expertly. Emmett lifted his face off my ear and grabbed my dick with his hand. He pulled a pool of my precum off my dick and smeared it across my dick and… his. I grabbed my hair for the impending penetration.

I knew it would hurt… and hurt it did, hurts so good.

The pain was brief and was successfully covered up by a moan. Emmett was in me. I willed my eyes open to see Emmett's brow in full concentration. He too didn't want to cum just yet. The electricity was coursing through us at full voltage. It consumed me and I screamed in lust. I started to whine my own expletives as Emmett got his dick all the way in. I felt his balls slap at my ass.

He whispered in my ear, "Ready?"

I shook my head as best as I could and Emmett pulled almost all the way out and slammed back in. Our motion became quickened.

"Sooo big…" I managed to groan out over Emmett's grunts. He was so good right now. Oh my god, I was so close!

"You like that, Logan?" Emmett teased. "How about this?" He pulled all the way out and I was about to let out a whine about the void he had left when he slammed all the way home. My head flew back and so did my eyes. I shook beneath Emmett, but he kept thrusting. I tried to meet his thrusts by rocking my own body, but I couldn't concentrate. I was distracted by my own pleasure.

I don't know how long we made love. I had long ago lost all awareness of time. Eventually, Emmett grabbed my dick and started to pump it slowly. He pulled away from kissing me to look deep into my eyes. "I love you, Logan Cullen." Emmett said so clearly. If I wasn't about to orgasm and I was able to, I would have cried.

Emmett stroked my dick faster now. I knew Emmett was close and he was trying to cum at the same time as me. Faster and faster he pumped and rammed it home. So close… Our mutual cries of release were explosive. My entire life, both human and vampire, had culminated in this very moment of pure happiness. Our orgasm felt like it went on for centuries.

Eventually, we came down from Everest. Emmett slumped on top of me. He slowly looked up at me and smiled his signature dimpled grin.

"I love you too, Emmett Cullen," I said exasperatedly. He closed his eyes and exhaled. My eyes got wide and I realized that not only was Emmett still inside me, he was getting hard again and well, that got me hard too. "Again!" I asked.

"Do you want to?" Emmett replied mischievously. His smile was too good. I closed my hips into a vice grip and that gave all the answer Emmett needed. We didn't leave each others side for two days…


	13. Ch 13: Reality Sets In

As I came out of my sexual stupor, I saw that the sun was rising in the east. What day was it? I tried to remember through the blissful fog… I had seen the sun rise twice since we came up into this paradise. It was Tuesday. Shit. Emmett and I had already missed one day of school. It made me chuckle to think of the reason why. Jeez, why am I even concerned? School was for humans. Sex was for lovers.

"What's so funny, Logan?" Emmett rubbed my back, which made me growl.

"As much as I'd like to stay at this wilderness retreat with you, the more we practice biology here is the more we are noticed not studying biology at school. We better head back to Forks," I said.

"Vampire biology is very different from human, my pupil." Emmett had his lecture voice on. "For example, the length of time needed in between coitus is significant less in a vampire like me."

"Yes, I have personally experimented with such behavior," I responded to Emmett's howling laughter. He bellowed for a few minutes and I waited for him to regain composure.

Emmett peered into my eyes. "High school is fucking stupid. I have like a thousand diplomas, not to mention a shit ton of undergrad and graduate degrees, but I have to start over in fucking high school every time. It really doesn't change, no matter what decade you do it in. Why don't we just skip town and travel for a bit."

"Emmett, I understand that you do the minimum in high school to maintain a low profile and by existing on the fringes you miss out on a lot both at school and the world. But we can't just leave. Maybe after you and I graduate, we can leave and skip the next school cycle. But for now..." I rolled on top of him and gave him a hug. He returned the favor. Emmett engulfed me, physically and mentally. I managed to mutter out, "I'll make it bearable for you and everyone else."

"What does this mean, Logan?" Emmett asked. We weren't talking about school. I pulled away from him and gave a quizzical look. He stared into my eyes and said, "Honestly, I can't imagine any other existence without you now. I… I just don't know how to tell you."

"You just did," I said and the only other thing I could think to do was to hug him again. As I held him tight, I took a huge intake of his sweet scent. I could feel myself becoming aroused again. "Emmett, we got to go!" I pulled away from him to see that I caused the same reaction in his groin as in mine. He winked at me to which I snapped my fingers. "FOCUS! As much as I would love _love_ to stay here with you, we have a life back in Forks that isn't going to stop just because we are up here romping in the woods."

"Oh come one baby, just one more romp?" he pleaded as he grabbed my hips and pulled them agains his own.

"Ugh, no, I got…" Yep, I couldn't finish my sentence. Emmett was soooo distracting. Before I came out of yet another sexual stupor, the sun had passed over and was on the descending trajectory towards evening. My eyes shot open and I smacked Emmett. "WE HAVE TO GO!" He tried to wiggle me into a stupor, again. This was becoming annoying in all the best ways. I gave him a backhand across the face.

Emmett looked at me incredulously. "Mr. Cullen—I didn't know you could be so violent." He alternated raising and lowering his eyebrows.

I just stared at him.

Defeated, Emmett got up and rummaged through a backpack that was sitting to the side of the destroyed tent. I watched Emmett's muscles contract and relax as knelt before the bag. I gulped down about a gallon of venom that started to pool in my mouth. Finally, inside one of the bags, Emmett found fresh clothing for him and I.

"Thank you Alice!" I yelled aloud.

It was nice to have something on me for a change, clothes that is. (Emmett, a someone, could be on me whenever!) We packed up the big pieces of the tattered tent and threw it into one of the bags. Emmett pulled out his phone, but it was dead. So was mine. We decided to run down to the entrance of the park and when we got there, my shiny Mustang sat in the vast parking lot. Emmett walked over to the driver's side and punched in the unlock code. He popped the trunk and I found my Geometry book. I chuckled a bit when I remembered that I had a test today. "Maybe I could bedazzle Mr. Jones with my good looks so that he'll let me take the test tomorrow?"

"The only person you're allowed to bedazzle is me." Emmett thrust his thumb into his wide chest. I think that I was just claimed.

Emmett drove us back to Forks holding my hand the whole way. I would never tire of it. I started to think about the future, but then I was reminded about the past. I knew a lot of Emmett's past, but was he always a Cullen? I knew Edward had rebelled against Carlisle, but did Emmett have an independence spurt too? "Emmett?" I started. "Were you always a vegetarian? You didn't have a Edward-style rebellion too, did you?"

Emmett hit the clutch and edge the transmission a gear higher. "Why? Would it change what you think about me?"

Had I hurt his feelings? "No, it wouldn't change what I think of you! Are you kidding me? I was a cold-blooded killer before I met you all. I don't have a prayer when compared to you," I said honestly.

Emmett tightened his grip on my hand. "At least you're honest about being a killer. I think it is more that you accepted it and have come to terms with it. Me on the other hand, well I too have come to terms with being a killer, but not on the same path that you took."

"Tell me about it," I implored.

Emmett laughed a little before he stopped. Now I WAS intrigued. "I think you can say that Edward and I are probably the two most different people in our family. He broods all day long while I play practical jokes."

"And that is why I love you," I interjected.

"Even so, there was a time when Edward and I did see eye to eye on something. Like Edward, I rebelled against Carlisle's teachings. Carlisle made it so easy. He merely told me, 'Son, we'll be here when you get back."

"You do a good Carlisle impression. I say almost better than Edward," I commented.

"Stop interrupting!" Emmett said with Carlisle's voice.

I nodded my head.

"It was 1951 and I had been this way for nearly two decades. Anyways, I got sick of all our moving because we either had a slip up or people in town were beginning to notice that we weren't aging. It sucked. I could never find a place and call it home for more than a few years. Rose and I would joke that we were army brats.

"After a big bloody slip up, we moved yet again. I didn't want to go and after a heated argument with Carlisle and Esme, I ran off. I was sick of being so perfect and being held to a higher standard than other vampires. Days passed and I wandered around Montana, Idaho, and eastern Washington alone. I got really close to taking out a few ranchers one night, but couldn't bring myself to do it.

"Eventually, I ended up in Boise and I met a pair of nomads, Allison and Harold. They liked the thought of the three of us hunting together because it created a more powerful coven. They would go out into the countryside and hunt and so would I. Only I would hunt cattle or wolves. I didn't want the local ranchers to get upset about the taking of too much of their cattle.

"Allison and Harry figured out why my gold eyes were such when they came across me feeding on a steer. They retched at the sight. I explained to them about Carlisle and his way of thinking. They didn't understand. I couldn't explain it to them, but that was when I realized I could explain it to myself.

"I understood why Carlisle moved us around and abstained from human blood was because it allowed him and the rest of us to exist in the world. The thought of living in that barn, although freeing at first, it was a cage in disguise. I could be who I wanted to be at that barn, but I didn't want to be a monster that preyed on humans.

"Who I wanted to be was with my family. Allison and Harry didn't understand and pleaded with me to stay, but my mind was made up. I miss them sorely, even now, but they weren't my family. Just friends. I had to find my family. It took me two weeks to find them. They had moved to western Oregon. And this is how I knew I made the right choice: When I came out of the tree line, Carlisle and Esme wrapped me into a hug and asked me how my day was. MY DAY WAS! It was so easy for them to take me back in so the thought of leaving them was never a question I had to ask myself. I could leave, but why?"

"Have you heard from Allison or Harry?" I asked.

"No, not for some time. They send me a note every few years to let me know where their new stomping grounds are. Last I heard they were in Baja California, but that was six years ago. Who knows where they could be now."

"Was that the only time you left the Cullens?" I asked as Emmett pulled into the long, winding drive of the house.

"No, I ran off just after I changed, but that didn't count. I was a newborn and you know how that is," Emmett said with a squeeze of his hand.

Oh boy did I.

When we walked through the door of the house, I smelled only Alice. I flew upstairs and before I could knock on the door, she said that it was open.

Her high-pitched chirp made me smile. _Damn, psychic pixie,_ I thought.

I opened the door to see her typing away on her bed. "What are you doing?"

She winked and replied, "I have been setting up _all_ _your accounts_ this afternoon. The better question is who were you doing?"

I decided to avoid Alice's question. "Did you say accounts as in plural accounts?" I hopped onto her bed and sat shoulder to shoulder with her as she continued to type in financial info. I saw familiar names like Cullen and Hale, but also names I never heard of—Boniface, Masen, Smith, Taylor, and onward. "Alice, how many alias does this family have?" I asked, seriousness coloring my tone.

"Just a few," she giggled. "We keep most of these people in a paper existence only for money reasons, but sometimes, if one of us has a slip up, we can easily jump into a new name and let the old name lie dormant for a generation or two."

"How many names have been dormant?" I asked genuinely interested.

"Don't ever suggest the name, 'Mitchell' to Esme. She'll scowl and disappear into her and Carlisle's room for a week. Mitchell involved Jasper, Emmett, and a pistol. Add a human and we had to flee New Brunswick. Esme was always fond of that house," Alice whispered, the nostalgia was ominous.

My eyes widened when I saw the dollar signs attached to all the figures on Alice's computer. I was speechless when I saw all the other money signs too—euro, yuan, pound, and others.

Alice enjoyed my wide eyes. "What?"

I shook my head a bit and replied, "I didn't expect to see a million dollar transfer from one Alice Hale! Would that be you in another life?"

Alice nodded. "Yeah, everyone in the family agreed to gift you a million each. I already took the liberty of splitting up your start up funds into various investment portfolios. Never good to have all your eggs in one basket as that cliché goes! Don't you remember the Great Depression?" That last question was rhetorical, at least I hoped.

I was speechless. How could I—Yep, I couldn't finish. I was speechless.

Alice just laughed. "Well anyways, I set it up so you get a monthly injection of cash into your five bank accounts. Oh, here are the cards! I picked out the design on this one. I thought the blue sapphire matched your eyes." Alice plopped five bankcards into my lap. I knew without asking that the cumulative value of these cards could easily buy me a dozen special edition mustangs right now.

"I don't know what to say Alice," I murmured.

"Well maybe you could dish on your adventure into the woods," Alice responded smoothly. I stared up into the ceiling. I contemplated whether I could just phase through the bed to escape the impending onslaught of questions. Alice smacked me, "Don't even think about it. It doesn't turn out well!"

Emmett popped his head in the door and found me immediately. A huge grin was plastered against his face. "Everyone is out hunting. Do _you_ want to go hunting?"

I felt really awkward. Emmett wasn't asking Alice and me to go, only me. I half thought Emmett wanted to avoid Alice's questioning of me too, but she shot him down right there and then.

"We're talking about his accounts. Do you still want to do the one million?" She was talking to Emmett. I was awestruck by the word "million" put into one question.

Realizing he wasn't going to get me away from Alice anytime soon, Emmett nodded his head. "Uh yeah. That's fine. Well, actually make sure you put the fifteen I set aside for Logan last August into his portfolio too. I'm going to go hunting and find everyone. I'll be back soon though."

"Wait, August?" I started.

Emmett grinned.

Okay, this was too obvious. I ignored the money conversation. "Take your time. You need the hunt, badly." I expected him to leave after the quick smile he gave.

Alice chuckled. I looked over to her and then felt a hand cross my face. The hand pulled my face to a pair of luscious lips meeting my own. I took the sweet scent of Emmett in with a full breath. As quickly as he was before me, he was gone. I turned to Alice's unwavering glare. It turned into a beam of pride and happiness. She crooked her head to the side waiting for me to dish. And dish I did. I recapped the story minus some of the more erotic details. Alice was enthralled.

After finishing my story I let the silence between Alice and I envelope me. Now that I knew how Emmett felt towards me I had to ask Alice something. "What now?"

Alice burst out laughing. I had to join her.

"Well, you could start by going to school tomorrow and doing that Geometry test," Alice suggested.

"Nah, I'll start with taking a shower. I need to get the dirt off my skin." I flicked a piece of dirt off my wrist and into her clean bed. I looked over to Alice whose face was about to explode.

Alice cooled off in a second and said coolly, "Yeah, you'll want to shower the Emmett stink off too!"

Oh geez. Well played, pixie.

I gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and bounded out of her room. I whipped into my en suite bathroom and turned the shower on the hottest it would go. Alice was indeed correct. I did have to get the Emmett stink off me even if I did like the addition to my own scent. I lathered up and felt that lest vestiges of Emmett leave my body. I sighed at the thought. I turned in the shower to rinse and saw a large figure in the bathroom with me. It took one sniff to realize who had come to join me in the shower.

"The water is scalding. Alice said I had to wash your stink off me."

The figure replied, "Well, I'll have to make sure I reapply that stink then." A very naked Emmett opened the shower door. "May I join you?"

"Like you had to ask," I groaned. I grabbed his hand and pulled him under the hot water with me. I assaulted his lips with my own. Emmett grabbed my hips and lifted me up so that our heads met. I moaned as I tasted the black bear he must have taken down only minutes ago. He pulled out of our kiss and rested his forehead on my own. The hot water covered our heads and faces. I licked my lips, which made Emmett breath heavily. He pinned me against the shower wall. I could feel his erection pressing hard into my navel. As it moved, Emmett let loose a throaty growl. I grabbed the luffah, which hanged nearby started to wash every inch of Emmett. It took another thirty minutes to drain the extra large hot water heater Esme had installed in the house. When we ran out of hot water, we made due with the cold water. I thanked the Holy Man upstairs for giving me this life and this wonderful man, but an errant thought passed my mind despite being so distracted by Emmett's attention. _What made him come around?_

After we dried off, Emmett grabbed my hand and pulled me towards his bedroom. I was glad nobody was in the hallway or they would have gotten a very naked Logan and Emmett show. I closed Emmett's door behind me and watched Emmett go over to his dresser. I took a huge breath of Emmett's scent that permeated the room. Yep, this room was my personal slice of heaven.

"I put it in here somewhere. Ugh, Alice! Stay the fuck out of my stuff! Annoying little pixie!" Emmett exclaimed.

"Language, Emmett!" Esme yelled from across the house. Everyone had clearly returned while we were in the shower.

From the other side of the house, I heard Alice respond. "It needed new wrapping paper. You really are horrible at it."

Emmett pulled a box out of his dresser. It was a wrapped in pink wrapping paper. I approached Emmett and said, "Pink really isn't your color."

"Uh, I guess so. Here, this is for you." Emmett handed the gift to me and I unwrapped it.

"Oh wow, Em. This is wow." I held up a picture of Emmett and I up in Alaska in a little wooden frame. Mount McKinley was in the background. We had just returned from scaling the peak when Esme shot this photo with her camera. Esme was such a pest with that camera, but she saved a good memory for me, my crystal clear memory notwithstanding. Emmett looked so good; it made my loins quiver.

"Wait… Is that…" I pointed to a metal dot. Oh wow! It was that damn poacher's bullet that bounced off my granite skin. "Emmett… This is awesome!"

"Yeah, I hoped you would like it." Emmett put his hand on my lower back. Suddenly he slinked to my ass and pulled me into him. I knew what he was thinking.

"But when did you get this? I mean, you didn't make the decision about us until I forced your hand at the club or at least I thought…" I stopped suddenly. The look on my face told Emmett to jump in.

"Guess we're going to have the talk now, huh?" Emmett acknowledged.

"Yeah, we're going to. So what changed your mind?"

"This," he said coolly. Emmett craned his neck so that his lips met my own. It was a light and subtle kiss. The beauty of it all made me giddy. This didn't make Emmett very happy. "I'm trying to be romantic right now and your not cooperating."

"Sorry," I said over a chuckle. "You'll find that I rarely will cooperate. It's just a quirk of my nature."

"Yeah, I noticed, but can we please be serious," Emmett pleaded. He put on his serious face, which was such a rarity that I forced myself to stop laughing.

"Sorry, go on. That kiss, or I mean, the one on the dance floor, made you change your mind?" I prompted Emmett with my hands.

"Um yeah, when you said you were going to leave, I well, panicked. I didn't think you would actually leave, but when you told Rose on the dance floor. I knew I had to do something. I couldn't think of anything. I was about to run onto the dance floor to talk to you when Jasper grabbed my arm and stopped me. He said there was only one thing I could do to get you to stay. I knew what he meant, but at that moment, I, well I'm sorry to say didn't want you. I feel kind of stupid about it all in hindsight."

I was taken aback. I looked around the room frantically. I started to chant to myself that what happened in the woods wasn't a dream. Emmett could tell I was starting to freak out a little.

"At that moment," Emmett reiterated. "Then, I started to watch you dance. You grabbed that little twink out of nowhere and I knew you were going to use him to piss me off. I know you well enough."

I looked down at the floor. Emmett picked my face up with his index finger.

"Just to let you know, it did piss me off. I wanted to rip that little fucker's face off. I couldn't figure out why I was so angry all of a sudden. Then, it dawned on me. Since you told me how you felt about me on the roof at school, you had never interacted with anyone but our siblings. They were never competition because they were family. This twink was all in your business and it wasn't going to continue on my watch.

"When I touched you, my skin burned. It was like I stuck a finger in a light socket, only it didn't hurt. I felt warm inside and I couldn't place my finger on what it was exactly. I looked into your eyes and they were so confused that I knew only one thing would answer our shared question: 'Were we soul mates?'

"I won't lie to you. When I pulled you to me, it felt so strange. Never had I held a man so close to me. Yet it felt right and getting more right by the second. The closer I got to you the more my, um…" Emmett patted his towel-covered crotch. "It a reacted to your proximity. I never felt so much desire in my entire life, and it hit me all at once. All I wanted to do was kiss you and see if our question would be answered.

"In hindsight, the question was answered when you started to hang around that druggie twink. But I'm glad I got here the way that we did all the same. Does that answer your question?" Emmett asked.

"As to whether I'm your soul mate or what changed your mind?" I said with a chuckle.

"COME ON!" Emmett whined loudly. The house shook with laughter too. I think if Emmett could blush, it would have been a deep shade of red.

Time to be serious, I guess. I grabbed Emmett by the shoulders and let my towel drop to the ground. Emmett peered at my naked body and then into my eyes. He gulped. I dotted kisses up his neck and nibbled on his ear. Emmett gasped for air and I felt his hardon beginning to poke through the fabric of his towel. I whispered, "This answers all my questions." I licked his ear and that was it for our deep conversation. Emmett grabbed me by the waist and somersaulted me onto his bed with him on top. He ravaged me for the rest of the evening. I made a mental note to apologize to the family for the commotion.


	14. Ch 14: My First Life Reawakens

For as much that had changed between Emmett and I, much had stayed the same. He continued to make his crude jokes, much to Esme's dismay. And I continued to roll my eyes at him whenever he would make a fool of himself. Silently though, I would dwell over how amazing he was, even during his not-so-fine moments.

As far as being public outside the family, I convinced Emmett that we needed to hide our relationship. It wasn't because I was ashamed or embarrassed by our relationship, but the human world was still adjusting to accepting homosexuals, human or otherwise. Also, in light of my chronic run-ins with Nate Farling, I knew we didn't want to draw any more attention to us. Getting Emmett involved with Nate wasn't good either as Emmett _probably would_ kill Nate. Hiding our relationship wasn't very difficult in practice, but I knew it bothered Emmett. Now that he found his mate, regardless of my gender, Emmett wanted to yell of his discovery from the highest peak. I kept reminding him to give it another decade and then he could yell at the top of his lungs.

Several blissful months passed by and it was late January when I received a phone call from the only other phone number I knew other than the Cullens. Before I answered it, Alice and Edward raced into my room. Their presence told me what was coming. I answered the phone and a high-pitched voice clawed at my ears like a pissed-off wet cat. "Mr. Middleton, this Tabitha Soams from Juniper Nursing Home. I'm very sorry to inform you that Erica Middleton passed away last night. I saw a note in her file to contact you in the event of her death. I have to ask, are you a family member?"

I glanced at Edward and Alice before responding. "No, I'm not. It is just a coincidence that our last names are the same. I'm the administrator of Ms. Middleton's investment account," I lied coolly, "which paid her living expenses. Tell me, when is the funeral?" Before the woman on the other side of the line could respond I handed the phone off to Edward and left the house.

Twenty minutes later Edward found me in one of Esme's gardens. I could sense his approach, but he scared me when he spoke. "I did not know that you kept tabs on your mother." Edward took a seat in the grass next to me.

I turned to face him unsure whether he was angry at me for proximity to the one I said I hated. I knew my own face looked hard and it was definitely not the face of a child who had just lost their mother. Internally, I didn't know why I wasn't reacting like most rational people would.

"Logan, you are not most people," Edward supplanted my thought.

I let out an awkward chuckle. "Thanks for not including the word 'rational' in that sentence. I already feel like a weirdo as it is."

"Better to be weird than boring," Edward said. "Although, we must assume those are the only options."

"Prophetic," I commented with a nod. I briefly relived the moment when I had said Edward's words to the Cullens, a time when I was not yet one of them. It seemed ages ago now.

"How long have you been keeping up to date on your Mother?" Edward asked.

I took a long breath and replayed the story of my father's demise. After a long silence, both mentally and orally, I said, "My mom was in a nursing home for awhile now and every time they thought she was going to pass away, somehow she'd snap back to life. A little before I met you, I found out that her Medicaid was being cut and she would be moved a less than adequate facility. _I made_ _certain_ that she would have sufficient funding to get her well taken care of, until the end at least."

Edward noted my inflection and before he could inquire I replayed exactly how I got the cash needed.

"It's amazing how much some banks put in those ATMs," I said.

"Logan, the bank thief," Edward concluded with a nod. "Logan, I hope that you know that Alice foresaw that we would all go to Nebraska with you for the funeral."

I took another deep breath. I was waiting for grief to switch on or at least some emotion, but there was nothing. I wondered what would happen when an emotion did occur.

Emotion and control were mutually exclusive in my case.

Edward's head tilted as if he heard a bird chirp in his ear. He was listening with his mind. "Esme and Emmett have returned from Olympia. I'm going to help Esme unload. Would you like me to send Emmett to find you?"

"Nah, I'm good," I whispered.

Edward was taken aback, but I didn't really care. He squeezed my shoulder and then left me to ponder alone.

It was no more than a minute that I was alone when the sweet scent of Emmett informed me of his approach. It was so alluring that my eyes rolled back and I gulped down a pool of venom.

"Logan?" Emmett asked as he came up from behind.

"Yes?" I responded coldly.

Emmett sat in the grass behind me and scooted forward so that my body was fully within his grasp. His hands encircled my waist and he pulled me against his broad chest. I let my back melt into him. We fit together so well.

"Edward said you needed me," Emmett whispered into my ear. "What's going on, Logan?" He ran his hands up and down my sides like he was trying to warm me up. I remained a frigid temperature. The proximity to his hands was nice though.

"My mom died today," I whispered.

"What?" Emmett slinked his head around my own. His eyes were troubled.

"Yeah, um, yeah…"

"I am so sorry, love." Emmett gave me his signature bear hug. "I remember when my human family began to die off," he whispered into my ear. "It was hard to think of existing where they weren't. I guess I forgot you were still sorta young. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry, Emmett. I'm not." There was friction in my voice, and I hope it emphasized my feelings on the matter. That human let me go years ago. That human let this vampire shit happen to me. But it did lead me to Emmett…

I began to consider whether Emmett and I would exist together if we were both human. Really we wouldn't at all because he would be hitting his late eighties by now, or worse—be dead. I shivered at the thought. A world without Emmett was too much to handle.

"Alice said we would be going to the funeral. It's strange though…" I pondered.

"What?" Emmett kissed the back of my neck.

"I didn't make any decision to do that. In fact, I planned to stay right here in Forks."

There was a long silence, but Emmett broke it with his beautiful voice. "We will be going, Logan."

That was bit presumptuous on my mate's part. My raised eyebrow communicated as much.

Emmett sighed. "No, I mean it will be good for you. You need some real human closure. It doesn't sound like you got any before."

"You're definitely not the Emmett I thought I knew. Where's the crude, boisterous, and arrogant Emmett?" I asked.

Emmett smiled at that and I felt my body warm in its glow. "Oh don't you worry, sugar tits, he's in there!"

Did he just call me sugar tits? What did that even mean?

"Come on," Emmett said as he pulled me from the grass and held my hand tightly. He wasn't letting go. "Let's get inside and pack. If I know Alice, she's getting everything ready as we speak and I don't want any of her pixie dust getting my stuff."

"How did Alice know we would go?" I asked. "Edward said she had a vision… I didn't want to go. I still don't want to go."

"Then why are you?" Emmett's question was powerful.

I shrugged my shoulders.

"Edward probably lied anyways. Alice's visions aren't that great, I'll be honest. She thinks you need to go so that is why she said she say you go," Emmett said. He was probably right too.

I eyed Emmett suspiciously. "So she and Edward are conspiring this? Sneaky bitches!"

Emmett nodded. "Yeah and I'm in on it so I know you'll go along with it."

"You are not the boss of me, Emmett Cullen," I said, annoyed.

Emmett rolled his eyes, which got my nonexistent blood boiling. "Say that about someone who isn't me and it would be true. I got you wrapped tightly around my finger."

I phased my hand out of Emmett's. "Excuse _you_?"

"Want to see?" Emmett asked seductively.

I should have flogged him right there and then, metaphorically speaking of course. Perhaps an oral bitch slap followed by a speedy encounter with a tree! But… Emmett's tone of voice prevented such action. So sure, so calm, so Emmett. Shit.

Emmett walked around me, but kept his soulful eyes trained in on my own eyes. His sweet scent washed over me again. I was downwind from him now. Did he plan that? My body shuddered in response. He was behind me now and grabbed my hips with his godly hands. He held them tight and pulled me back to him. With one finger, that finger I was apparently wrapped tightly around, he slid a line across my skin where the top of my jeans usually held snug to my hips.

My breath hitched.

"Yeah like I said…" Emmett whispered in my ear. "Tightly around my finger. Do you want to go into the woods and have your way with me?"

Yep, yep, yep! I acquiesce to your request! I grabbed his hand and we ran into the deepest confines of the Olympic forest. I guess Alice would be doing all the packing!

Later, after Emmett let me have my way with him and reminding me that he owned me—he did—we walked back to the house at a snail's pace in silence. I knew he intentionally misdirected me from the purgatory that swallowed me up with his little sex-capade. It worked too. Emmett could be so distracting. Thank you, Emmett. I needed some distraction.

A few days later, the entire Cullen coven arrived at the airport in Seattle. I had been there dozens of times, but never to travel. (Capturing humans after they gave their ticket to the agent at the gate was the perfect opportunity! Everyone assumes Jon Q. Person got on a plane to Timbuktu, but really he got a ride on my back until we got to a vacant area. Yum!)

As we passed through security, I admitted to Emmett that I was a bit nervous to ride on a plane. I had never done so before.

"Don't worry, babe," he said as he went through the x-ray scanner. "It'll be fine." He flashed his smile at the security agent and promptly got the wand.

Edward came up behind me and commented, "Such a ham…"

Our first-class seats were comfortable. I sat nearest the window so I could enjoy the view from 15,000 feet. I had been this high before using my ability of course, but it triggered something of a national crisis when I set off the American military's early warning system for incoming nuclear missiles. Who knew a human shape form would look like a missile?

"Penny for your thoughts?" Emmett asked as he squeezed my hand. I looked over to where his hand met my own and contentment filtered through my body. It was nice a break from the lull that had swallowed me up.

A steward asked if I wanted a hot towel or a hot toddy. Apparently, that was the drink of the flight. I was about to answer when the steward gave me a scowl when he saw my hand connected to another very-male hand.

_Dude, this is the 21st Century and I AM FLYING FIRST-CLASS. _

But before I could do anything to make my thoughts known, Emmett let out a low growl. It was too low for the human to hear consciously at least, but his prompt departure from our seating area and active avoidance during the rest of the flight told me that he got the message. Douche bag.

Our flight ended in Omaha and from there, we would drive over to Wexford. As the distance between my first life and my second life shortened, I felt as if heavy rocks were being placed on my heart. I was being weighed down. I couldn't breath regularly, so I stopped doing it completely. The miles continued to tick by and it was all I could do to keep control of my body. Emmett helped significantly in this regard. He served as my anchor and I held him tight to my body in the backseat of the Escalade.

Jasper was driving and I had the briefest thought to suggest that he ride in the other vehicle. Who knew what kind of emotions he was sucking up from me? Ugh, guilt washed over me. I was hurting Jasper. I gulped hard.

"What's the matter?" Emmett asked as he bumped my shoulder.

"Nothing," I said quickly. I gave his hand a squeeze in an attempt to underscore my avoidance and he agreed to let what was bothering my slip.

Everything was the matter, of course. I was coming home for the first time in years, with a new family to see or at least say goodbye to my old family. My human life might have given up on me years ago, but in a way, it was reawakening. It was like my subconscious was trying to pierce the veil between my two lives, and connect them. But why? What catharsis would that serve?

We got to Wexford too quickly. Two Cadillac Escalades ruled the road in and of themselves, but like our Alaska trip, Edward and Alice prevented any accidents or run-ins with the highway patrol.

I directed our funeral party to go directly to the cemetery on the edge of town. Wexford was so small that you could walk five blocks and have covered pretty much the whole town. The cemetery was in a low-lying area near the river not far from where I underwent the Change. The trees were leave-less, but being so numerous, it gave me the feeling we were back in Washington. That was comforting at least. Nebraska could be so barren sometimes. So flat, so empty.

At least the trees would keep my mother company in her final resting place.

From the road, I saw a small tent was erected over a burial plot. I knew this to be my mother's because she was being buried next to my father. They had long ago purchased their burial plots from the church. It was the small-town Catholic thing to do.

Jasper parked the Escalade on the other side of the cemetery and Edward pulled up beside us with his party. To any onlookers, we would look like we were here to pay respects to another departed soul, not my mother.

I practically fell out of the vehicle. My feet felt has lifeless as stone, my vampire physiology notwithstanding. I forced myself to take a breath of fresh air and was greeted with the all-to-familiar scent of cow manure. The wind was coming from the northeast. One of the state's largest cattle feed lots was but one mile outside of town in that direction. Home sweet home!

Peering over the Escalade's hood, I saw that a very small group of people was at the burial plot. I saw Father Thomas, a woman in some type of medical scrubs, and a tall middle-aged man. Father Thomas had baptized me so many years ago when he was new to the parish. The woman gripped at tissues hard between her fingers. She would dab at her eyes periodically to stop her mascara from running. Perhaps she was one of my mother's caretakers at the nursing home and she was here to pay her last respects?

The tall man was more familiar to me. I searched my foggy human memories to see where I could place him. I kept running up short though. Every time I got close, the door to the memory would slam shut. It was very frustrating.

I had to find out who this man was.

"I think I'm going to walk over there," I announced to my family.

Carlisle's eyes darted to my own. "Are you sure that is a good idea? Perhaps those individuals will recognize you."

Carlisle's hesitance was understandable. I obviously looked liked my old self and the circumstances behind my disappearance didn't help matters either. To be honest, I didn't know exactly what this town thought about me, if they gossiped about me at all.

I didn't care about the risk. I had to know who that man was. "What's the worse that can happen, Carlisle? If they ask, I'll admit to being Logan Middleton and that I have returned to grieve for my dead parents. If they ask more questions, I'll, well… deal with it."

"I don't know…" Carlisle said hesitantly.

"Have a little trust in me, Dad," I said as I put my hand on Carlisle's shoulder. Yep, I pulled the Dad card out. So what?

Carlisle nodded.

I turned away from my family and began to walk towards my parent's grave. I felt a large hand grab my shoulder and pull me back. It was Emmett, of course. I turned to face his serious eyes.

"I…" he hesitated. "I just want you to know that I love you regardless of anything that might…"

I put my finger to his lips, silencing him. "Thanks," I said. "I love you too… regardless."

Emmett gave me unsure smile. I returned it and then continued my short journey to my parents.

As the distance closed, I noticed that Father Thomas and the woman began to walk in the opposite direction. The funeral service was over officially. The tall man remained however, which only heightened my interest in him. I was only twenty feet from him when the wind changed directions and I got a full intake of his scent. If I wasn't so distracted already, I would have been able to notice and place his scent from miles away.

It was a scent that I had not known in a decade. It was the scent of the only other man I had kissed, and the only man I had kissed in my first life. It was also the man whose lie caused a group of kids to beat me up.

I stopped as my head processed and reprocessed those events. The memories became crystal clear and replayed themselves automatically. Faster and faster the memories played. It was like being stung by a bee, then another, then another, and then, the whole hive.

I took a sharp intake of air and the man noticed me.

"Logan?" he asked. "Is that you? Wow, you look great!"

I was honestly shocked by that last comment. The man's heart sped up in what I assumed to be anticipation, but perhaps (and hopefully) some fear too. There was nothing to suggest that he knew that I was something otherworldly though. That would be his mistake.

"Hello, Joe," I said flatly. "How are you?"

Joe kicked the dirt. He reminded me of an old John Wayne movie I had once seen. "Shoot, I should ask you that question. It is your Ma's funeral after all. What's going on?"

What's going on? Right. "Well, I just wanted to pay my last respects and all," I stated.

"It's nice to see you though," Joe said as he extended his hand to shake my own.

I held stiff as a statue.

Joe held his hand there for a moment too long, but eventually he put it into his pocket.

I wasn't about to shake _his_ hand.

"So… I don't know if you know this but I'm the city attorney now and well, the state made me your Ma's executor of estate. She didn't have many assets. I mean, she had none really. All I have at my office is a box of personal things."

My interested piqued, I asked what was in the box.

"Just some pictures and her bible. All the stuff she had at Juniper. You know, the place where she was staying."

"I know," I said coldly.

"Wow," Joe said. "You're looking pretty good for 29! Haven't aged a day since high school!"

If he only knew.

I took the time to observe Joe closely. He too was 29, but he didn't look it. Time had been hard on him. Perhaps stress? He did go to law school after all.

"So do you want to look through your Ma's stuff?" asked Joe.

I nodded.

I began to walk out of the cemetery with Joe. I didn't bother to tell my family where I was going as that would just cause Joe to question me more. My family knew of course what with super vampire hearing and Edward's mind scanner.

The walk was short, but Joe tried to get the five "W's" out of me. He received the silent treatment the entire walk.

Joe fumbled his keys to get in the office, when I asked if he was still gay.

"Uh, erm…" he studdered. "I mean, no! That was but a phase."

Yeah right. I could sense the blood rushing to his groin at the thought of male-on-male contact. I wondered if he ever thought of me like that. "I'll bet…" I quipped.

Joe caught my eye and in a robotic tone, he said, "Father Thomas has helped me find my path back to God, Logan, you would do well to do the same to save yourself, if you haven't found God again." Joe had practiced his lines well.

"God and I have a wonderful relationship, Joe. He appreciates that I don't lie to others nor to myself," I said with a smile. Calling Joe out was just a smidgen of what I really wanted to do, but maiming, bleeding dry, or otherwise killing him wouldn't make Carlisle very happy.

In Joe's office, he handed me the box. "If you would like, I could leave you alone here to go through it unless you want to take it back to your hotel with you."

When I didn't respond, Joseph cleared his throat.

I said, "No, I'll take it with me. Thank you, Joe." I nodded a grim nod and he held the door as I stepped out onto the empty street.

Joe was quick to lock up, but I left him at the door. I was a half-block away when he yelled to me. He caught up to me and pulled a cigarette from his pocket. Smoking makes you look old, Joe.

"Are you staying in town?" Joe asked.

"Quit the chitchat, Joe," I spat.

Joe eyed the sidewalk with immediate interest.

I scoffed. "Joe…" I said. "Joe, look at me."

Slowly, he raised his head and caught my eyes.

"Joe…" I hesitated. I knew what I wanted to say. I also knew I would regret not saying it. Still, it scared me. What would Joe do? "I just wanted you to know," I began. "I know you are gay, and that you are living a life. You owe it to yourself to be happy, but you also owe something to your wife. I saw your wedding ring the moment I saw you in the cemetery. Should I assume you have a child?"

"Two," Joe said quietly. "Twins…"

"I'm sure they are wonderful." My voice was cold and calculating. "Just know that I will see you again one more time in your life, your deathbed. We'll see what you say about finding God again, and maybe I can forgive you then about what happened. Don't lie to yourself. What you did changed literally and fundamentally, my life. In fact, I lost it because of you…"

Joe was confused by what I had said.

"See you in forty or so years…" I said over my shoulder. I turned the corner and raced to the cemetery. There, the silence was ominous. Maybe I was just tuning everything out. There was no way this town _was that quiet_. I saw that everyone was sitting where I left them. They were frozen in place.

I pulled over to my parents' grave and sat on top of their gravestone. I had a side thought that this was perhaps bad luck, but decided that if anything, I was sitting down to have a chat with my parents. I popped the top of the box off and saw a few pictures, my dad's birth certificate, his wedding ring, and some other junk. My mother's Bible caught my eye though. It was old and tattered. She had gotten it as a gift at her First Communion and it had served as her referencing book in church and elsewhere.

I pulled the Bible out and put the box down. The leather binding was worn, but sturdy. It smelled like a library reading room. I flipped through the book really fast, but the binding was worn as well and it caught on a page that had been thumbed too many times. Mom clearly liked to reference what Psalm this was. I laughed internally when I thought of what it could possibly be. She was full of random Psalms that had little application to the event in question, but she tried, which meant more to me. It was then that I realized that I had previously forgotten that Mom would quote Psalms like it was her job. The Change took many of my memories. I was glad I got this one—a happy one—back.

I read, "_Leviticus 18:22_ _Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is an abomination._"

Of course. How many times have I been through that page myself?

I was about to close the Bible when a folded piece of paper fell from the leather binding in the back. It sat on my lap, but I didn't move to read it.

I glanced over to my family. Emmett and everyone else were doing what they do best. Appearing human. Esme and Edward pretended to commiserate over a grave, while Jasper and Carlisle compared burial techniques from Victorian England and the American Civil War. Rosalie was playing with her phone. Emmett had his eyes directly on me, waiting for the first indication that I needed him.

I appreciated everyone's distance from me then. Everyone had experienced this type of grief before and knew enough know when to let another be alone to grieve in his own way.

I pulled the carefully folded paper apart. My mother's familiar script adorned the paper and it read:

_Holy Father:_

_It has been years since I lost my husband. It has been longer still that I lost my son. No amount of time seems to dull the pain of my losses. When my husband was still with me, he would tell me over and over again that it was Logan who left us and it was Logan who sealed his fate. _

_What was his fate? The police said his attacker probably took his life from him and disposed of his body elsewhere. I do not believe that. Perhaps it's a mother's instinct. No, I know that I am right. _

_My son is alive. And I hope well._

_I have little regret in this life because Saint Peter will explain to me my fate in the next life. I do have one regret though, and perhaps it is only a mother's regret. My son. Logan. I left my son. _

_I have reread Leviticus 18:22 several times now and I find I struggle with it. I struggle with the reality that my son was created in God's image and God makes no mistakes, so how is it that I could be blinded by a small phrase that tells me my son is an abomination. _

_No, my son is not an abomination, and God makes no mistakes, so perhaps this Holy Book is mistaken. This is blasphemy, I know, Holy Father, but the truth lay in the reality of my predicament. _

_I ask for guidance, dear Holy Father, but know this… I gave up on my son once long ago and I feel as if God punishes me for my action with these cancerous thieves stealing life from me. And please know that I would gladly undergo worse if I could just know my son was well. _

_I hope that when I do meet Saint Peter, he will understand my plight and with God's good grace, he will open the gates of heaven unto me so that I can await the return of my son as he will not go anywhere but Heaven._

_Thank you, Holy Father._

_Sincerely,_

_Erica_

My brain jumped to mach twelve. What was she talking about? And then, I figured it out.

I felt as if I hit a brick wall, but instead of disintegrating into a million pieces, I felt myself falling, and it was taking forever to hit bottom. I realized then that it was real life. I was falling off my parents' gravestone. I didn't have the capacity to balance myself any longer. The cemetery, the Cullens, and Emmett—all moved in slow motion.

Time sped up and I fell into someone's arms. I cradled myself inward toward the person holding me. I grit my teeth hard and slammed my eyes shut. I could feel sobs of loss and regret threatening to break through my defensive barrier of rationality. I opened my eyes momentarily and saw that someone was carrying me towards the Mortuary. I looked down at the Bible I was clenching and saw that my strength had torn the binding. Rationality destroyed, I dropped the book and pushed my head into the shoulder of the one who was carrying me. I screamed in terror, in sadness, in hurt. Here was the one time in my second life that I wished I could feel the cool tears of sorrow. Nothing. My eyes were as dry as the day I entered this life.

I clutched the arm of my transporter and I heard a faint, but strong voice say, "It'll be alright. Let it out. I got you. You're safe. You're safe."

I entered a cocoon then, in my mind. Nothing from the outside world permeated. I was in a black void. Words began to float in the void. Loss. Gain. Love. Ostracism. Redemption. Change. Choices. … … … Faith. I stopped and waited for a heartbeat that would never come.

Rationality returned to me, but I kept my eyes closed. There were two things I thought in that moment. First, my Mother, my last vestige to my first life was now gone. Pain threatened to throw me over into the void again. I wouldn't let that happen. I couldn't. Second, my Mother loved me. She found it in her heart to challenge her own faith and choose to believe in me; to love me, again. I had always believed in God, even in this life, and in this moment I was sure my Mom had entered the gates of Heaven. She might not have told me directly, but I knew in her mind that she didn't give up on me and that was enough.

Time sped up and my vampire-grade senses restarted. The first stimulus to hit me was the most intoxicating scent I had ever had the luck of encountering (notwithstanding human blood). I knew in that moment _who_ was cradling me in _his_ _arms_—his burgeoning, wondrous, and protective arms. I thought about pretending to enter another fit, but rationality, and guilt for that matter, overtook that line of thinking. Besides, Edward was probably tapping his foot mentally.

"Yes, well I thought it rude to do it for real," Edward quipped.

"Huh?" Emmett said and I opened my blue eyes and met his gold ones. It was he who caught me. I didn't know why he bothered. It wasn't like I would have broken something on the way down.

"Um, thank you, Emmett. You can put me down now," I said. This was fast approaching awkward because my family surrounded us.

"Oh, right."

"Thanks, love," I kissed him chastely. "I'm okay now. Let's go."

Emmett nodded quickly.

As we walked to the car I noticed that every single headstone in the cemetery was knocked over, as if an earthquake had shattered the environment around me. In the distance I saw smoke billowing from some houses. I even saw a fire erupting from a store on the main drag.

It didn't take me very long to figure out that I had done this. I had caused a catastrophe.

I hesitated.

"Logan, let us go!" Carlisle shouted.

I couldn't move. What had I done? I looked over to my parents' gravestone. It was no more.

Carlisle yelled once more, but I didn't hear him.

Emmett picked me up then, and I would've protested, but I saw that a police cruiser was barreling down the road towards us.

I collapsed in the back of the Escalade, but Emmett propped me up.

Jasper hopped into the driver's seat as the police officer slung himself out of his cruiser.

"Everything alright here!" the officer yelled.

"Yeah," Jasper said. "What happened?"

"Dunno!" The officer looked freaked out. He probably didn't plan to have a low-grade earthquake disturb his shift of coffee and donuts. "You folks better get out of here! There may be some aftershocks that are gonna hit! Never had an earthquake here before! Bizarre!"

"Yeah, weird!" Alice chimed in at the most opportune time, giving the officer a sweet smile.

The police officer swooned, but quickly regained composure. He hopped into his cruiser and was off in the direction of the fire. It was billowing now.

Wow, what had I done?

I slunk into my seat, and Emmett held me tight.

"Get us the fuck out of here!" Emmett growled when Jasper didn't immediately put the Escalade into drive.

No one said a word for the first hundred miles, but eventually we pulled off the freeway at a deserted rest stop. We needed to get our bearings.


	15. Ch 15: The Power of Plastic

I refused to leave the Escalade once I was in it, so I listened as my family discussed what had happened back there. One by one they agreed that nobody saw us or at least suspected that we were involved.

_All those gravestones… defiled by me._ I loathed myself. How dare I lose control like that…

Emmett didn't stay away for me for long. He popped the door open and slid next to me. His mere presence lowered my stress. Jasper and Alice got into the front seats and started down the highway again. As the distance from my hometown increased, I felt as if I was leaving my first life all over again. I couldn't figure out why and it made my stomach churn horrendously. I looked down at my knee where Emmett had put his hand. I whimpered. I unbuckled my seatbelt and laid across the seat, putting my head in Emmett's lap.

There were rare times I wish I was a human. My second life had been so liberating. Today however, all I wanted was to sleep, to remove myself from this world for even a few minutes and not have to think or exist. Emmett started to caress my hair, which felt nice. I guess I had to settle for this.

The car was silent for the whole ride to the airport. Emmett even refrained from making cow-tipping jokes as we passed the numerous cattle lots. I didn't like Emmett when he wasn't himself. He had turned into my sun in this world. When Emmett was himself, I felt like myself. It was a shame that my hometown and state would remain as a negative memory in Emmett's mind. Not that Nebraska is a big deal by any means, but it was the place that started me on my path to who I was today, and it was by no means all bad. I remembered times when I would go to a dance bar in Omaha or Lincoln, near the university and dance along with all the humans until late at night. Then, I remembered that I would let an unsuspecting victim take me home where I would get my own drink on. I muffled a little laugh, which broke everyone else out of their silence. Jasper was the first to speak.

"I'm glad I got something other than doom and gloom out of you today," he said. After Alice gave Jasper the evil eye, he tried to correct himself. "I mean not that I was expecting anything or er, I mean it was horrible that you lost your mother."

Emmett growled.

I felt bad for making Jasper experience all my emotions with me. I had a suspicion that he would have had it no other way however. That is just the type of person he was. I believe that in his head, sharing an experience makes it less painful because in the end more than one person went through it. And with Jasper, it was literally true.

Jasper pulled into the parking garage near the airport. It was good that we were there because the sunlight in Omaha was intense and each one of the Cullens save me would be a shiny beacon. Jasper and Alice got out of the Escalade and went to meet Carlisle and the others who parked nearby.

"Logan," Emmett gently pulled my face so that I could look up into his eyes. "We're here. Our flight leaves in about an hour so we better get a move on."

"How are you feeling?" I asked.

"What?" Emmett replied.

"How do you feel right now?" I restated. "Everyone's been so concerned about my feelings, emotions, and thoughts, that I think we have forgotten that there are other people's feelings involved. How do you feel right now?"

Emmett looked away from me and over to the family. They could clearly hear what I was saying, but were being polite by not moving to interject or disrupt.

_Tell them thank you, Edward_,I thought.

Edward nodded his head and suggested that they go check in for the flight.

Emmett continued to gaze out the window. It worried me. "Emmett, don't shut me out," I croaked. "I know we have never talked about this, but you have to promise to be honest with me, always."

Emmett turned his gaze to me. He placed his palm to his lips and kissed it and then placed his hand on my dead heart. The electricity from the contact and the symbol it represented got to me. "You know what, Emmett Cullen. You make me fall in love with you every single day."

"How's that?" Emmett's voice was cocky.

"Big things. Little things. I think my favorite is the subtle things. How you have to sit next to me wherever we go. I know that you always have your eye on me when we are in a crowded classroom or the gym. That when I turn to meet your gaze, you pretend not to have been looking at me, but have the biggest shit-eating grin on your face. I know that second one is true because Alice gave you that huge slap across the face for not listening to her babble on about Fashion Week the other day!"

"I don't know why she likes to talk to _me_ about that stuff. I just wear what she buys me," Emmett said.

I snapped my finger. "Focus, Em."

Emmett snapped back. "I'm focused."

I let my eyes get wide as a prompt for Emmett to speak.

"Honestly…" Emmett hesitated. "I can't wait to get the hell out of this God forsaken place. It has brought nothing, but pain and misery to you and being in that town of yours reminds me of all the idiots and hicks from the sticks there are!

"And… I have a confession. Jasper may be an 'emotional sponge' like you call him, but there is a reason he's been around us a lot the last few days. I asked him to push out as much positive energy as he could muster, not because of you, but me. I knew I had to be there for you through this. But seeing you at your parents' grave stopped me dead in my tracks. And then when you collapsed, I mean none of us has been to a funeral for a 'real' family member so nobody knew what to expect. I really hope I didn't let you down."

"You mean Jasper has been helping this whole time?" I was frankly surprised.

"I might be as strong as an ox, but I know I couldn't handle this alone. I'm sorry I could be better for you." Emmett creased his forehead. He must have been struggling with this since we flew in.

How could I respond to Emmett so that he knew exactly how I felt? I made the decision in my head and knew Alice would take care of the rest. I pulled myself out of Emmett's lap and sat facing him. I took his face with both of my hands and paired my lips with his. He let me enter his lips and my tongue took in his flavor. Emmett inhaled sharply as I straddled him and slid my hands down to his neck. I ran my tongue across his razor sharp teeth and then across his lower lip.

I pulled away from Emmett's face so I could peer into his eyes. "You couldn't ever let me down. That is how much faith I have in you. You could screw up—screw up royally—but you could never let me down. Like I said, you make me fall in love with you every single day. Most of the time you don't even try and you still succeed."

I could tell Emmett was regaining some of his confidence. He grabbed my hips and grinded his own into me. It was having the right effect. I let out a low guttural growl and Emmett whispered, "What did I do today to make you fall in love with me?"

I tried to regain my concentration and make out the words. "When you saved me today."

Emmett stopped immediately and peered deep into my soul. The seriousness in my answer was not lost on him and he knew the sexual acts we were perpetrating had no place in the new atmosphere.

Emmett opened his mouth to speak when Alice opened the passenger door. "Hello boys, here are your tickets. Your flight leaves at six p.m. tomorrow evening. Have fun. Esme says to be careful. We'll see you back in Forks." Alice put the keys into the ignition and started up the Escalade again. She removed herself from the vehicle and was gone in a flash.

"What's going on?" Emmett asked.

I disentangled myself from Emmett and plopped myself into the driver's seat. "We're not leaving Nebraska until we have shared some good memories about this place. I refuse to have this day and this place remain a black mark on our relationship. Besides, we get some alone time and the best sex, aside from makeup sex, is emotionally-wiped-out-because-of-family-drama-and-loss sex. If Alice got all my decisions correctly, we should have a reservation at the Hilton already set up."

No sooner had I uttered the words, my phone buzzed with a new text message. It was from Alice. Her text read, "Yeah I'm that good! Thank me later!"

"I mean, okay. I'll play along." Emmett said as he took shotgun. I whipped the car into gear and sped away from the airport.

The sun was setting fast in the west as I pulled into the shade-flooded overhang of the hotel's front door. A portly man approached me as I got out of the Escalade. I handed the keys to the valet along with a hundred dollar tip. "Keep the car close and I'll double that later," I said.

The valet's eyes promptly widened and he nodded his head in agreement. The valet waved his hand to a younger looking teenager who ran out of the door. "You must be Mr. Cullen and Mr. Middleton. Your secretary called us moments ago and informed us of your group's arrival. Welcome to Omaha! Steve will take your bags up to your room if you would like to check in. The lobby is that way." The valet pointed through the front door. Wasn't that kind of obvious?

The Cullen and Middleton distinction irked me some. How did this man before me not know how wonderful Emmett was? How he practically orbited me, and I him? My conscious kicked in and threw back in my face all the rationale I gave to Emmett as why we couldn't be official in Forks. My conscious was usually my voice (of reason), but this time it was Emmett's. Ugh.

Emmett and I walked through the swiveling doors and beneath a large crystal chandelier. It sparkled like Emmett would in the sun, only he was more breath taking. I shuddered with desire suddenly and became impatient. Emmett put his hand on my shoulder. He was confused to why I stopped. Our physical contact didn't help matters at all and it was all I could do not to walk at a faster-than-normal pace to the receptionist.

"I believe I have a room reserved for Logan Middleton?" I inquired.

A fat older woman with tired eyes came out of her side office and smiled. I was glad the wrinkles on her face were smile lines, not frown lines. "Welcome to the Hilton! Ms. Alice called about an hour ago and she set everything up. Are you two the first to arrive?"

My phone buzzed in my pocket and I grabbed it. Another text from Alice, "Just say yes."

Without skipping a beat, Emmett said answered.

Tired Eyes said, "Oh, well that's fine! We can just get you all the room keys and you can disperse them when everyone else gets here!" She was too ecstatic for my liking. I couldn't put my finger on why. Tired Eyes clicked around on her computer. "I'm don't know why Ms. Alice was so specific with her room requirements, but we were happy to accommodate her. We just moved some other guests."

Tired Eyes handed us eighteen sets of room keys. I looked to Emmett who didn't look concerned at all. He winked at me and my confusion peaked. His face became a little exasperated and I decided to wait until we alone to express my confusion.

"There is just one more thing," Tired Eyes said awkwardly, "um, payment?"

Emmett pulled out his wallet and responded, "Oh, I'm so sorry, I completely forgot. You take AMEX correct?" Tired Eyes nodded her head. Her eyes exploded in amazement when Emmett pulled out a black AMEX and handed to her. She held it like it was some fine silk that could break with the gentlest squeeze. Her reverence was getting on my nerves and when I exhaled suddenly, my frustration caught her attention.

"Oh I apologize Mr. Middleton, I'll get this promptly rung up!" Tired Eyes said with glee; no sign of an apology. After running the card, she handed the card back to Emmett. He signed the slip and handed it back to her.

"Just charge everything to this card," Emmett commanded. Tired Eyes smiled and nodded her head again. Emmett was such a charmer. It made me sick in good and bad ways. Emmett thumbed threw the room keys until finding the one he was looking for. We entered the elevator and it was the first time we were alone.

"What is going on?" I asked making sure I put so much annoyance into my words.

"Wait, until we get to the room, babe," Emmett responded soothingly. I continued to steam until he grabbed my hand and cupped it tight. I stared at our hands and the annoyance within me melted like butter. Didn't I say Emmett was a charmer? He's dangerous because he's equally as good in non-oral charming as oral.

_Oral_.

Emmett opened the door for me and held it for me as I entered. I saw both our suitcases on the bed. So the hotel knew what room we were in too? Emmett put out the Do Not Disturb sign and let the door close. He locked it for good measure. I walked around to the window and pulled the drapes open. The sun was gone and we had a great view of the city skyline. I turned around and ran my fingers across the silk duvet comforter. It was soft, even to my sensitive fingers.

I looked over to Emmett who was stowing our luggage in a closet. "Emmett, what room are we in?" I peered down the hallway into the open bathroom and saw the hot tub, which was sized for two people.

Emmett, through a toothy grin, said, "the Honeymoon Suite."

I shook my head and returned a smile to Emmett.

"Logan, would you ever want to get married?" Emmett's tone was cautious.

I think that his reasoning was that I was fervently against being public in Forks. Or maybe it's the whole spectacle that is the gay marriage movement in the U.S.

"Why do you ask?" I murmured, clearly punting the question.

Emmett knew he had to elaborate before I would give him a response. "Carlisle and Esme, and Jasper and Alice have been married so many times, I have lost count. This is me we're talking about, a vampire, with a crystal clear memory. I can't read Edward's thoughts, but I know he dreams about it. And don't get me started on Rose. If she could trade me to the devil so that she could be a human again, well, I'm pretty sure she wouldn't think twice. So you see, I'm constantly bombarded by marriage. Aren't you?"

"I wouldn't sell or trade you for anything," I declared calmly.

"And that is why I'm your mate," Emmett boasted. "You didn't answer my question by the way."

I hesitated. I didn't want to upset Emmett by any means and his explanation didn't really give me an answer as to what _his_ thoughts were on the institution.

"Come on, Logan," Emmett urged. "You told me I always had to be honest with you so you have to be honest too."

Emmett had me there. Well, might as well take a shot in the dark on this one. "No, I don't want to get married." My sentence sounded more like a vow then a statement of fact. I waited for Emmett to react, but he was still as stone. I bit my lip and started to elaborate. "I mean, I don't want to get married because it's a human thing to do. I know we try to be like them, but honestly, I love who I am, mostly, and I'm not human."

"But just because you aren't human, doesn't mean that marriage isn't an option for you." Emmett sounded like a lawyer. I always knew he was sharp despite the jokes of others in the family. Emmett just didn't throw it in the other people's faces.

I conceded the point. "But you have to remember what vampires do. It's definitely not marriage, but notice how I have never said boyfriend or husband to you or when I talk about you. I always say 'mate.' It's more carnal and primitive, I know, but vampires can be that primitive relative to humans. I just don't want to go through the pomp and circumstance of it all and essentially ask the human world to recognize what we have. You and I transcend that world and not because we are better or different then them. It's because we are immortal and who knows what the next hundred years will bring. Why recognize that authority? It's a whole lot to do with nothing, in my opinion."

I waited for Emmett to respond. When he didn't, I decided to put the ball in his court. Where were all these sports references coming from? I was definitely Emmett's mate to have taken those metaphors as my own.

"I don't want to get married either Logan. Not if you don't that is. I'm happy just as I am because you are here with me." Emmett didn't stammer or hesitate when he spoke, but I knew he was lying to a degree.

"What's really bothering you, Emmett?" I asked as I grabbed his hand. We sat together on the end of the bed. He started to admire a painting that was strewn in front of us. I grabbed his chin and turned his face so he could admire me instead. He smiled and it made my heart flutter. I returned the smile. The mood in the room lightened immensely, but still, I waited for Emmett to respond.

"I just want everyone to know what you mean to me," Emmett announced succinctly.

"Em, does it matter if _everyone_ knows or if everyone we care about knows?" I questioned.

"Does it matter?"

"I think that it does. We try to live in this human world as much as possible, but we can't forget who we are. We're always going to be different and we have to keep the secret or face destruction by the Volturi. In today's world, humans would see us a spectacle and that is unneeded attention. We walk on a tight rope and we need to take care that we don't fall off.

"Besides, we only have to be secretive in the human world. In the vampire world, nobody would give us a second glance. If we ever ran into your nomad friends, Alli and Harry, they would be happy that you found, well I hope that I am, your soul mate. It wouldn't phase them at all. One day, it will not phase anyone in the human world about us and by all accounts, that day is coming fast. That is the best part of being immortal. Seeing things begin, grow, and flourish.

"Em, take solace in the fact that those who do matter—our family—knows what we have. I think sometimes Jasper avoids Esme because she is too happy. She's probably happier than we are sometimes."

"Why is that?" Emmett asked.

"Just because I love you doesn't mean I don't want to rip your head off when you do something to piss me off."

Emmett raised his eyebrow.

"But that is why I love you," I said coolly. "Seriously Emmett, those who matter know. And honestly, and most importantly, I know. Is that enough?"

It took Emmett only as long as it took me to finish speaking to decide. He crashed his lips in my own and he cupped my face. I opened up to him and he pulled me into him. I straddled his hips like I did in the car. He held me firmly as I roamed his neck and hair with my hands. He pulled out of the kiss only to nibble on my neck. He bit down ever so gently, which earned him a low roar from my throat. I tugged on his hair in return, hard, which earned me a good size roar.

Emmett became very still and then he spoke into my neck, "I love you and I don't need a wedding or a ring to tell the world about us because the world doesn't need to know. Thank you for reminding me that what we have is between us and not the world. I'm sorry for making you feel like you had to defend yourself."

"Don't apologize, Em. It's unnecessary," I said with conviction. The room became silent and I reveled in it because I was with my one and true mate and life couldn't get any better… for me that is. I began to think of a way that Emmett could have something to show the world that I was his. My answer was simple enough, but I was unsure whether Emmett would go for it. It was a worth a try at least.

"Hey Emmett," I said seductively. "Do you trust me?"

Emmett's response was grinding into my groin with his hips. I inhaled sharply from the pleasure emanating from his pressure. We had to go though. It was getting late and my plan might fall through before it gets anywhere. I squeezed out of my position much to Emmett's dissatisfaction.

I picked up the phone and called the desk. Tired Eyes answered immediately and inquired about our accommodations. "Have the other people in your party arrived? I hope they find their rooms as stately as your own."

I looked over to Emmett who mouthed the response I was to use. "Yes ma'am, they are slowly beginning to arrive one by one. They should be in and out most of the night."

"I understand," she said. Understand what? "Is that all Mr. Middleton?"

Ignoring my confusion, I asked, "What is the finest jewelry store in Omaha?"

Tired Eyes gave me the address. "If you like sir, I can call down there and get you set up with your credit card?"

"Uh yeah, sure. Thanks."

"Wonderful! I'll have the valet bring around your vehicle. It will be in the drive when you get down here." Tired Eyes hung up the phone.

"Where are we going?" Emmett asked. "I don't wanna go shopping. That's Alice's deal."

I laughed. "You sound like a petulant child. Stomp your foot and you have the whole package."

Emmett growled his frustration.

I tried to placate him. "Trust me I know you'll love it in the end."

He eyed me with suspicion

"Go change," I instructed. "I don't think you want to be strutting about in a suit for the rest of the day. I mean I love you in a good suit, don't forget that. That would be a great, um, surprise if you came up to me in a suit and had your way with me." The thought of role-playing with Emmett made my groin shudder in desire.

I took a long gander at Emmett's frame. I had an absolute delight in my sight. My control over my libido was at breaking point and I knew that if Emmett undressed himself in front of me, the show would have undone me and I would've taken Emmett on the spot until the sun went supernova. Finding some sort of control, I passed around Emmett without letting him touch and therefore distract me, grabbed my suitcase, and went into the bathroom. As I closed the door behind me, I took a deep breath. I needed to get myself together. Today had been so long and wrought with complex emotions. Death. Loss. Redemption. Love. On and on it went. It didn't seem like it was going to stop either and I knew that what I had planned probably ensured that conclusion.

I questioned what I would find in my suitcase. I wasn't in any shape to pack it in Forks and I put a reminder on my mental to-do list to thank Alice for doing it for me. Actually, she probably would have packed it for me even if it were for a vacation. Oh, Alice. I was happy to find jeans and some simple v-neck shirts. Apparently, Alice thought I looked good in v-necks. She had a good eye for this type of stuff so I wasn't going to complain by any means. I put on a pair of pre-faded, pre-ripped jeans and a bright blue v-neck. I had to muffle a laugh when I thought about how much these stupid jeans probably cost. New jeans that were pre-faded and pre-ripped was an oxymoron.

I came out of the bathroom and thankfully Emmett had changed too. He was also in jeans, but he was wearing the hottest plaid button up shirt I had ever seen. It was probably his stunning beauty that made the shirt hot, but oh my god, he looked good. I had to consciously command my eyes not to roll back into my head. It was a short-sleeved deal that had alternating shades of green on it. He looked hot! His biceps bulged and threatened to tear the cloth much to my dismay. He looked so perfect.

I approached Emmett and undid another button on his shirt. He needed to show some skin for my benefit only. I would kill anyone, female or male, that even tried to get with my man.

"Has anyone told you how fucking hot you are?" Emmett asked. I gave a smile and laugh in response. "No seriously," Emmett continued. "It's taking all my will power not to jump your bones right here."

"Romantic, Emmett," I commented sarcastically.

It was Emmett's turn to bite his lip, which was the hottest thing on the planet his shirt notwithstanding. "Sorry, it's just that blue looks so good on you. It matches your eyes. I love your eyes. There so blue, like the ocean on a sunny, warm day."

"Don't apologize. I like the real Emmett more. I mean your welcome to tell me about my eyes, but being told that you are 'fucking hot' is definitely hot in and of itself." I winked and gave Emmett a punch in the arm.

"Why are you so violent?" Emmett asked playfully.

"Because I need a sturdy man and I have to test you constantly. I can't have you getting soft and fat on me."

"Does this look like fat to you?" Emmett flexed a bicep and it ripped the shirt.

My jaw dropped and I folded my arms. "Seriously, Emmett, that look soooo good on you. I'm so disappointed."

"Now, I don't know how she could have known, but…" Emmett rummaged through his suitcase and pulled out another shirt. It was the same one.

"Alice is a goddess," I said.

Emmett quickly changed into the new green shirt. He laughed when my eyes bugged out at the sight of his naked torso. I couldn't understand why even after seeing him naked hundreds of times that every time was like the first time. That thought was always followed by this one: I'm so thankful it is like the first time too! "Oy vey," I murmured.

Emmett stopped buttoning up his shirt. "What, are you Jewish now?"

I looked around the room. "I don't know where that came from. I think I'm watching too much of _The Nanny_ on Nick at Nite."

Emmett laughed.

I looked at my watch and realized that it was getting late. Would that jeweler be open? If it was that good, they wouldn't be open this long, especially on a Sunday! "Let's go. I have a plan and I don't want to fail to carry it out!"

I grabbed Emmett's hand and held it all the way down to the hotel lobby. Surprisingly, none of the staff gave me a second glance. This was the heart of the Bible Belt after all! Maybe that credit card had something to do with it? Tired Eyes seemed to have gone haywire when she saw it.

The valet handed me the keys and I handed him the tip I promised. "I'm here all night, sir!" He exclaimed. "Let me know if you need _anything_."

I hopped into the driver side and Emmett into the passenger side. Emmett mouthed under his breath, "That was a shitty come on."

"I like jealous Emmett. It's fucking hot," I replied.

That earned me a growl.

"I like growling Emmett too." I threw out with a laugh. I entered Tired Eyes's directions into the navigation system and we settled into the journey across town. "Emmett, can I ask why everyone at the hotel seemed to have gone bonkers after you flashed them your credit card. It was like they've never seen one before."

Emmett leaned across the dash and gave me a kiss on the cheeks. I thought it was weird until I saw that Emmett was actually just leaning over so he could pull his wallet out of his back pocket. He pulled out the black card that I had seen earlier. "This little gem," Emmett said almost reverently, "is the American Express Centurion card. The best of the best. Gets you in wherever and it can get you anything. When I say wherever and anything, I mean it. It comes in real handy when you want to avoid questions in your purchases. Just flash the card and everyone goes bonkers, like you said."

"So? Why is it so special exactly?" I asked.

Emmett appeared wounded. "Uh, this card is by-invitation only. You have to go through all these financial background checks. A lot of Hollywood celebs don't even have it. No limit either. The company is so sure that you'll pay your bill that you could charge a leer jet if you wanted." Emmett's suggestion would have seemed like a joke to most, but after seeing what kind of financial background the Cullens had collectively and even separately, they could quite easily afford a leer jet or two, or three.

"Okay, I'll admit I'm impressed, but no offense, Em, you sound like Alice right now." I patted his knee. I could tell Emmett was pissed at my jest. I looked over at him and winked. He smiled instantly. Yep, Emmett Cullen was putty in my hands.

I pulled into the deserted parking lot of the jeweler. All its lights were on and I saw a person standing at the door, like he was waiting for us. With my vampire vision, I saw a small sign on the door stating the jeweler's hours. It was closed on Sundays. I shook my head and said, "AMEX black card makes people go bonkers."

"My thoughts exactly," Emmett said.

We got out of the Escalade and approached the entrance. An older man held the door for us and said, "You must be Mr. Middleton! Welcome!" I shook the man's hand (he didn't even flinch at the coldness of my touch) and he pointed out the fifteen counters throughout the boutique. Each counter had an employee staffing it. They each were smiling extravagantly. I guess whomever we bought from was going to get a fat commission tonight.

I grabbed Emmett's hand and held it tight. The act, I could tell, shocked Emmett, but he didn't waver at all. I pulled him through the store as I perused for exactly what I was looking for. We approached the wedding bands and the jeweler at the counter's heartbeat sped up. I wanted to conclude that she was blown away by the beauty of my mate, but realized she was contemplating how much of a commission was hers tonight. Yep, she was winning the lottery tonight.

The jeweler said, "Good evening, I'm Kathy. Is there something you are looking for in particular?"

I turned to Emmett and asked, "Do you trust me?"

"Like you have to ask," Emmett said with a grin. "Yes, yes I do."

I took Emmett's confidence in me and let it wash over me. I turned to the jeweler and said, "Kathy, I'm looking for two bands. I want them to be simple, but ornate. They have to stand the test of time though. I can't have a weak band that will break or wear out. Love can be a long and wearing road, but when you have someone to share the traveling with, it makes the road worth it."

"Okay, you want something strong, but simple. Love is both of those things and I can see those things between you. " I liked Kathy's comment a lot. Yep, she was definitely getting the commission. Kathy pulled a display of bands out of the glass case. "I think you need to look at these bands. They are all platinum, which is an extremely rare precious metal. It is more rare than gold. It's certainly more durable and strong than gold too so it will last the test of time."

Emmett muffled a laugh to Kathy's last sentence. I had to agree with Emmett's thought on the matter. How little Kathy knew that the rings, whichever ones were chosen, would literally be tested over the eternal long haul.

"Can they be inscribed with a message?" I asked.

"They can have your monogram in it, but just that," Kathy said.

Let's see how far this AMEX black card would take me. In a rather loud voice, so the man who let us in, who I realized was the store manager, could hear us, I said, "That is such a shame. The jeweler in Lincoln said they could put a message across the entire length of the inner side of the band. I think we'll have to go back there tomo..."

Before I could finish my sentence, the manager popped up behind Kathy. That was quick. Was he a vampire? "Mr. Middleton, I have an excellent in-house engraver that can engrave any message you need. I can even have it done immediately so you can take the rings with you tonight."

Yes, the black card was a gem. Time to give the manager a reward. "Thank you sir, the store in Lincoln did say it would take a few days to get the engravings."

I perused the various bands. Some were simple, some had complex patterns on them. Others had precious stones on them. Which one was the symbol of Emmett and I? Kathy said that our love was strong and simple. A simple band would due. I pushed the sets away that were too complex. Looking at the simple ones, I found exactly what I was looking for. It was a flat band that was rounded to get to the other side. Plenty of engraving space on the inner side.

"I want two of these," I announced pointing to the simple and strong platinum bands. "Can you size us both up?"

Kathy took several sizes of the ring out and started to size Emmett's left ring finger.

"Kathy, could you size his right ring finger for me."

Emmett, Kathy, and the manager all had looks of confusion on their faces.

"Please?" I asked rhetorically and included a powerful smile. It worked like clockwork. Kathy got the correct size right for Emmett and then she sized me up.

"Now what do you two want it to say?" Kathy asked.

"Will you excuse us for one moment?" I asked quietly. I grabbed Emmett's arm and was about to pull him to a secluded corner when Kathy cleared her throat.

"I would be happy too. Take your time." Kathy and the manager left us at the counter and when to another counter. This black card was too powerful.

"Emmett," I grabbed both his hands in my own. "I'm your mate and I want you to come up with a word or phrase for me that will be engraved on a ring. I will wear that ring for the rest of my life, in some form—either on my hand, around my neck, in my pocket, or if I lose it, then in my heart.

"I want you to pick something that you want me to know and that I can carry with me for eternity. Those rings send a message to the world that we are mates. Others won't understand it, but it doesn't matter. We're still sending a statement. You are everything to me and that fact becomes stronger every day we spend together.

"I don't want to know what the message is now. I want to see it on the band when you slide it on my finger. So here is a piece of paper and pen and go over there and write down what you want it to say. I'll do the same right here."

Emmett nodded and went over to another counter. The younger woman who was attending that counter sniffled and wiped away a tear. Emmett asked her if she needed a tissue. What can I say? I am a poet!

I turned to my counter and pulled the purchase slip to me. Now what should I say to Emmett? How could I sum up what Emmett McCarty Cullen means to me in one phrase. I surprised myself when the answer came so easily: "I promise to fall in love with you everyday of eternity. L."

I waved over to Kathy and the manager and they scurried back. I looked to Emmett who was having a little more difficulty choosing the perfect thing to say.

I wasn't upset that he was taking so long. I rather enjoyed watching his brow crease when he was deep in contemplation. He looked so hot when he was thinking; like _The Thinker_ statue by Auguste Rodin molded with a modern day Adonis. He was so… I had to shake my head away from that line of thinking or Kathy would have gotten a sexual show that only those of the prurient interest would fancy.

A few minutes later, Emmett returned and handed the paper directly to Kathy. I knew I could see exactly what Emmett had written, even through Kathy's physical body, but I refrained from doing so. It would ruin the experience for me.

The manager gave Kathy a few instructions and she rushed into the back with the purchase slip, Emmett's message, and the two rings. The manager then turned to Emmett and I. "We'll have those engraved for you right now. It'll take an hour to do both the rings and polish them up to an appropriate luster. If you'd like, we can take care of payment?"

I nodded and pulled out my wallet. Alice had given me several cards the day after Emmett and I returned from the woods. I had only used my debit card because I knew that it could never be declined—there was too much money in it. Flipping through the cards I found exactly what I was looking for: American Express Centurion. Cardholder: Logan Middleton. I looked up to the manager who also saw what card I grabbed. He was salivating for the sale.

I handed him the card, but stopped him before he swiped it. "Oh sir, also I need you to add some other things."

"Oh, I'm sorry, did you want to purchase insurance or a gift box for the rings?" the manager asked.

I wasn't sure whom I would shock more—Emmett or the manager by what I had to say next. "No, we won't be needing insurance. Actually..." The manager nodded. Without skipping a beat, which in my opinion added to the effect after I finished my statement, I said, "I need you to prepare twelve sets of the two rings. Every ring has to have the exact engraving as we have directed. There is no need to have them prepared tonight, but I would like them to be mailed to me, at this address." I took piece of scrap paper that was laying near the register and wrote down the PO Box in Forks.

The manager gulped.

"Sir?" I asked. "Is there a problem?"

"Um, no." The manager stuttered to say even that.

I looked to Emmett who was shaking his head incredulously.

I laughed to myself. I turned back to the manager. "I feel like I should explain myself. My _husband_ is notorious for losing and/or destroying things. Might as well have a few spares? Am I right?"

Emmett's gaze was fierce. I may have thrown him under the bus, but he'd take it because it was I who threw him.

"Right sir, well, I'll just multiply your ring order by twenty-four," the manager struggled to say.

"Good, and make sure that the commissions you would ordinarily pay out go to the other fine employees here tonight. I didn't realize your fine establishment was closed on Sundays. They too deserve a nice paycheck for coming in on their day off." I made sure to say that loud enough so several of the employees heard me. This manager seemed nice, but I didn't trust him to not keep the commission for himself or at least not pay it out to the others.

The manager stammered. "Um, right sir. That won't be a problem." His heartbeat was on overload. This was probably the largest single sale of his career. He handed me the receipt to sign. "If you would like to sit over there, I'll bring the first pair of rings out when they are done." I nodded and the manager ran in the back. The rest of the employees cleared out as well. One of them mouthed a thank you to me to which I nodded.

I looked back to where Emmett was, but he had moved over to the couch near the entrance. He was sprawled out. As I sat next to him he sat up and cupped his hands in his face.

"What's up?" I asked.

"This definitely wasn't what I planned to do tonight," he said calmly.

"Yeah well, you need to kept on your toes when you're with me," I explained.

"I'm beginning to see that," he murmured. I playfully elbowed him in the rips and he looked into my face with the brightest smile. I could tell he was trying to play cool, but internally his emotions were on a high. Jasper probably would have suffocated on how lovey-dovey Emmett was feeling. I grabbed Emmett's hand and held it in my own in blissful silence.

About forty-five minutes later, the manager came out of the backroom with a small bag. "The receipt is in the bag. The replacement rings will be mailed to you in about a week. Thank you for coming in." The manager held the door for us and locked it behind us. The Omaha night was cool, but not unpleasant to a human that is.

"What now?" Emmett asked.

"Now we find a secluded spot," I whispered.


	16. Ch 16: We Make Our Own Romance

"_What now?" Emmett asked._

"_Now we find a secluded spot," I whispered._

Emmett's eyes went black. I had to laugh at his lust, which enraged him. I hadn't realized until that moment that Emmett hadn't gotten any real loving since the day I got the call about my Mom's passing. I sort of felt bad for Emmett, but I had a plan to stick to. I drove us around for a few blocks until I found a park. I parked the Escalade, grabbed the bag, and got out. I waited for Emmett to disembark, grabbed his hand, and we entered the park together.

The park had seen better days. It might've been winter here, but even that with the cracked sidewalks and graffiti everywhere, this was a place any safety-conscious person would avoid; yet another reason why it was good to be supernatural. How couldn't I classify it as anything less than a gift?

"What a dump," Emmett commented.

"I agree," I said as I pulled him to a concrete park bench. The graffiti on it was worn, but rather pretty actually. I patted the bench for Emmett to sit.

"We're going to do this here? Come on babe, let's go to a place a little more romantic," Emmett whined.

I wanted to make the "petulant child" comment again, but decided against it. Emmett was trying to be serious even if it was covered up with a whiny pre-teen girl routine.

"Sit," I commanded.

Emmett sighed and took his place next me.

I pulled the ring boxes out. "Emmett, we met in a shopping mall food court and we shared our first kiss in a dance club. I don't think we can exactly claim the gold medal for romantic experiences, _but that does not bother me in the slightest_. It makes us unique. What vampire can say they met their soul mate in a food court?"

"That doesn't sound that awesome," Emmett stated.

"What I mean to say is, you and I, we create our own romance, wherever we are. Too many people focus on the perfect atmosphere, perfect location, perfect whatever, and in so doing, they lose sight of the whole reason they are there: the person they will share it with. To me, you are what makes the 'whatever' perfect.

"I'm sure that when we tell Alice or Esme, and probably even Rosalie, about what we're doing here tonight, they are all going to gush about how romantic it was." I was sure of my hypothesis about this. "What's even better is that Alice and Esme will probably give their respective mates hell for not doing something so romantic."

Emmett was unconvinced. "I don't know about that. They've done some pretty romantic things in their time."

"Do you want to make a bet?" I knew I had Emmett. He can gripe about being romantic all he wants, but gambling was his always his weakness. (I silently thanked God it wasn't a real gambling addiction. We would really have a problem with the Volturi then!)

"What do I get if I'm right?" Emmett asked. His interest was clearly peaked.

"If you're right, I'll admit it openly and then we can do this again more romantically."

Emmett eyed me suspiciously. "And what do you get if you're right?"

"Just that you have to admit I was right and that we create our own romance."

"Okay, so how are we going to do this?" Emmett asked.

Not the most romantic start to this, but I wasn't going to let that bother me. I looked under one ring box and saw that they were labeled with a small sticker with the ring size. I handed Emmett my ring and kept his. He ran his thumbs over the velvet box as if it were a small animal that he was scared he'd break. He exhaled a long breath and then looked into my eyes. Was he nervous?

"Emmett, you asked me if I wanted to get married. I said no, but…" I popped open the ring box. "I want you have this so that you can wear a piece of me wherever you go. I hope the message on the band is enough."

"Fuck me," Emmett said aloud. I was more than a little shocked, but tried to keep composed. "I mean, um, crap…"

I started to laugh.

"Don't laugh! Ugh, I'm screwing this up," Emmett moaned.

I put my hand on his shoulder. "Emmett… Emmett… Emmett! Calm down. Do you like it?"

"Like it? I fucking love it! I mean, er, I'm sorry. Esme would be furious."

I tried not to laugh. I took the ring from Emmett and he looked like a dog whose favorite sock or toy was stolen from him. "You know Em, I said it earlier today, but I'll say it again, you make me fall in love you every single day. I promise to listen to you, to love you, to be worthy of you. I promise to laugh to your jokes, even when they make Esme shudder. I promise to have your back when Jasper and Edward double-team you. I promise to whip your ass at chess. I promise to be there for you like you have been there for me. I promise to be your mate _and your husband_ until even after I leave this world. You are my one and only."

Emmett looked like he just witnessed the second coming of Christ. His jaw was dropped and his eyes were glistening with the tears that would never come. Did I just make Emmett Cullen cry? I so had his ass wrapped around my finger. I slid the ring onto his right ring finger. I was careful not to bend it; it was like a rubber band only it wouldn't spring back into its original form. Once it was fastened, Emmett looked at his hand as if he got a manicure. He bite his cheek in the most adorable way.

"Okay, my turn," Emmett said succinctly. All of a sudden, my comedic inner monologue dissipated and was replaced by a deep emotional pool that somehow filled up around us. I tried to take a breath and my mind asked itself why it was forgetting to breath. What? I don't need to breath.

Emmett opened the box and took out _my_ ring. I still didn't see the ring because I was looking at the look in Emmett's eyes. He was serious and excited at the same time. He took my hands in his own and placed the ring within my palm. He held my hands against the cold metal of the band and said, "Logan, I once asked you if you wanted to ever get married. You said no and even after your explanation I thought for some reason it was because it was me, like I wasn't good enough, you know? Don't speak. I know what you will say. It was only a brief thought because it was so easy to remind myself of the moment when I knew I WAS worthy of you. Do you know when I knew I was good enough for you? The minute you forced my hand in the bathroom of that Seattle bar. When you told me you were going to leave, I couldn't breath and I couldn't figure out why. I would've passed out if I was human. It angered me and I wanted you to leave.

"Then, for three seconds, I thought about the life I would have free of you. I realized it was dank and depressing because it was empty. A black space. But I didn't love you and that was your price for staying.

"I walked out of the bathroom to pull you aside, but Jasper sidelined me. He told me to get it together and go to you. I realized then that the whole family knew _something_ I didn't. I felt so stupid. I tried to joke with Jasper, that you were just being dramatic. He wasn't happy and I could tell it was me that was pissing Jasper off.

"So… I took the leap and came to you on the dance floor. Even then, I didn't feel anything towards you other than a friend or brother. But when you started dancing with that kid. It hit me like a bullet train. Jealousy. It wasn't any sort of jealous I had felt before, it was… horrible. It was in that moment that I realized what you meant to me, it wasn't friend, it wasn't brother… it was lover. I had to have you. I had to have you to myself and that little twink was in my way.

"I thought about swooping out of rafters above and slicing his head off for touching you that way. You were mine. I'm sorry I sound so possessive, but I blame it on the pressure you were putting on me. Yeah, the pressure got to me. I felt my, well, my little Emmett coming alive, he was telling me things, whispering things—ideas of which ways I could have my way with you.

"I pushed that twink out of the way easy enough. It was then I knew I was worthy of you. Your eyes were angry and sad, but when they came upon me, they changed ever so much. I saw hope and faith, as you would put it. Sappy as it sounds, I knew that when you looked upon me, despite all the horrible things I had put you through, you still fucking loved me. You had that much faith in me. I hope I'm worthy of the faith. So, read the engraving on the ring. I hope you like it."

"I was beside myself; frozen in time. I replayed Emmett's words in my head several times so that I could never forget what he had just said. We had only talked about this night once before and I never did get a good explanation of Emmett's feelings… until tonight that is.

"Logan, are you there? LOGAN!" Emmett shook my shoulder and I took an unnecessary breath.

I turned the ring over so I could read the engraving. "Wow," I whispered. If there had been any point in my second life when my dead heart beated, it would have been in this moment. My love and his love, albeit different and wondrous, was our love. It was sappy, and delirious, and dramatic. Most of all it was good. The flood of contentment that washed over my body was intoxicating to say the least.

I reread the words on the engraving. "I shall endeavor to be worthy of your faith in me every single day of forever. Em."

I held out my right hand and Emmett slide the ring onto my finger. It felt and sounded like medal scraping on glass, but I would get used to it. I could always put the ring on necklace or bracelet, but that ring would stay with me forever. (Or a copy of it that is.)

"Wow," I restated quietly.

Emmett, who was unsure whether I was being sincere or sarcastic, asked, "Can I take that as 'Emmett, I really really love the ring and I really really love you!'"

"I'm speechless," I declared.

Emmett raised an eyebrow and commented, "That'll be a first."

I smiled. "Way to ruin a romantic moment."

"I don't think it would be _us_ if we didn't have these _interruptions._"

"I prefer this interruption," I grabbed Emmett and pulled him to me. I squished my body to his and we melted into the perfect hug. I looked down to where his forehead was in the crick of my neck. I pulled his face to my own and embraced him in a kiss. I put as much passion and love into my lips so they would tell Emmett how elated I felt.

"Wow," Emmett quipped as I let his face leave my own. We let the silence of the night envelope us. Neither of us wanted to leave this place. It had been so perfect. It was clear to me in that time and place were immaterial when you were with your other half. It was the sharing of the time and place that made it special, never the time and place itself.

After what seemed like hours, Emmett opened his mouth to speak. I grinned and cut him off. "What now?" I asked.

"Maybe these rings are like telekinetic. I was thinking just that!"

"You mean psychic? Because I'm sorta telekinetic, to the those who don't know me very well." I burned out a light bulb that was above us to make the point. The darkness that surrounded us allowed our senses to re-evaluate the surroundings. The beauty of this deserted park took on a new definition.

"I know you very very well," Emmett purred, grabbing my hips and rotating his thumbs near my groin.

"Not yet, Em," I said.

Emmett groaned. "But you said emotional turmoil sex is the best."

"Oh, it will be. It's just, I want to do one more thing before we get to turmoil sex. Can we go dancing? As a couple? We can't be official to the world, but we can definitely be official in a gay club. Nobody will care."

Emmett's eyes lighted up. "You. Me. Together. Public. It'll be alright? Holy shit, yes!" In the blink of an eye Emmett was gone from the park bench. I heard the door of the Escalade slam shut.

I shook my head and laughed.

I thought, _What did I just get myself into?_

About an hour later we were cruising down the freeway towards _the _gay club to be in Omaha, at least that is what the concierge at the hotel said. It was pushing midnight by the time we got in line and it wrapped around the corner.

"This is bullshit," Emmett whined. He grabbed his wallet and pulled out the magic black card. "Come on."

The bouncer at the front of the line was intimidating. He was big, burly, and bear-like. He probably was a bear, in the homosexual context. I laughed to myself, which didn't go unnoticed by the bouncer.

"What's so funny, twinkie?" he taunted.

Was that to me? "I'm not a twink!" I said emphatically.

"Yeah, you're also not getting in even if your boyfriend there keeps flashing the credit card. Where do you think my card reader is anyways? My asshole! Get back in line!"

"Fuck you man!" Emmett roared. The bouncer would have been more intimidated if he wasn't so tired looking. He probably had been at the door all night. I grabbed Emmett's hand and led him into the alley behind the club.

The alley was empty save a few feral cats roaming through some garbage, but even they took off after sensing our presence. I surveyed the brick wall before me and saw through the wall. It was the women's bathroom, only there were more than women doing there business there—men too. There were large windows above each stall that were locked shut and had steel bars on the inside. It was probably a security thing so that people couldn't sneak others in. From the height of the window from the outside, no one could get in anyways. Emmett could though. I turned to him and said, "We're going dancing. Wait for my signal, okay?"

Emmett nodded.

I walked along the wall to find a vacant bathroom stall. Finding my opportunity, I phased my body through the brick wall and into the stall. A drag queen was backing his or her, I should say, big ass booty into the stall to take a seat. I cleared my throat. "Occupied!"

The queen turned around and spoke in a deep, raspy voice. "Where did you come cutie? You here with anyone tonight?" The drag queen walked out of the stall and put her hands on her hips. "I'm Thunderpussy and I can give you a real thunderous night."

I held back a laugh. Thunderpussy? Really? "Um, thanks, but I'm actually hear with my boyfriend and he's on his way in. Thanks though! I'm really flattered," I lied.

"Oh well see if your boyfriend wants to get in on a threesome with you and I! Find me later, lover boy." The drag queen flitted off to another stall in her three-inch platform boots.

I closed the stall door and bit down on my tongue to prevent myself from laughing. After regaining composure, I jumped up on the toilet and dissolved the weld connecting the gate from the window. After unlocking the window, I opened it to see my mate waiting down on the street. His hands were on his hips.

"What?" I asked.

"You're in there one minute and you were already hit on!" Emmett was clearly amused.

"Yeah, by a drag queen," I laughed. "Is the coast clear?"

"Yep!" Emmett hopped up and through the window. It was a tight fit for Emmett, but despite his size, he was pretty nimble. I closed the window behind him and swung the gate around. With little effort, I reheated the welding and the gate was snug once more.

I turned around to see a grinning Emmett eyeing me down wildly. His dimples were peeking out either side of his cheeks and I about melted at the sight. His eyes turned dark obsidian and I thought for a moment he needed to hunt. That thought was thrown to the wayside when Emmett walked ever so slowly towards me. It was a small and cramped stall so it didn't take Emmett long to find my lips with his own. His hand wondered down to my ass and he pulled me into his aching erection. My lips quivered at the thought of what our bodies were doing to each other. I melded so perfectly to him and he to I.

After making out for fifteen minutes, someone who was getting impatient by the lack of movement from our stall started to pound their fist on the door. I grinned at Emmett and grabbed him by the hand. I led him out to a fury of cat calls and raunchy compliments.

"Why can't my man be that sexy?"

"Fuck me, doggie style and up the urinal!"

"How you doing son? I can be your Daddy."

I shivered a little in disgust. "Nobody's my daddy." I whispered to Emmett whose guffaw shook the room. The man who offered to be my leather daddy was shorter than me and fizzled out like a balloon with a hole in it. He promptly ran into the stall that Emmett and I recently vacated. We walked down a long hallway. The thump-thump of the music got louder the closer we got to the bar and dance area. All manner of people were here, some were already coupled up while others were hoping to score big.

One tried to score big, but I didn't think he could handle what he was trying to reel in. Emmett. The guy was really tall, but really skinny. It looked like the guy got into a fight with and lost to a steamroller. He cut in between Emmett and I and to prevent clothes lining him, I let go of Emmett's hand. "Hey buddy, you want to ditch the twink and get out of here?"

I growled, but with the loud music, only Emmett heard. Emmett crossed his arms and shifted his weight to one side. He lifted his left hand to his chin and brushed it slightly as if he was really thinking about tall man's offer. I crossed my own arms in frustration, but saw that Emmett intentionally was rubbing his chin with his ring finger. It had on his ring on it.

"Nah, I'm married," Emmett said succinctly. He circumvented tall man and grabbed my hand into his own.

"What about a threesome? I can deal with _him_," tall man threw out in desperation. The inflection however, really said, "if I'm forced to!"

_How desperate were these people? Two threesome offers in less than a half hour?_ I thought as I stared tall man down.

Tall man threw out his arm and grabbed Emmett's shoulder. Emmett giggled subtly. Without turning around, Emmett asked rhetorically, "What part of it's not going to happen in your lifetime don't you understand?" Emmett squeezed my hand and we continued toward the dance floor.

"Bitch!" tall man screeched over the music.

"He's been called worse," I threw back with my own guffaw. I said to Emmett, "Why do you get the males hitting on you and I get the drag queens? And for fuck sake, I AM NOT A TWINK!"

"No, you're not babe." Emmett kissed me on the forehead and pulled me onto the dance floor. "More like an Abercrombie model. Besides, I like your muscles." Emmett started to dance in front of me. When I didn't immediately jump in, he walked behind me and started to feel each one of my muscle groups. One by one, my left bicep, then right, pectorals, abdominals, gluteus were all touched and massaged by Emmett's excellent kneading. If he didn't stop, I would take him here and would let all of these douche bag humans watch. They could take notes on how good I could give it to Emmett. Yummy!

Sensing my thought process, Emmett stopped massaging my body and held onto me so we could get into the same rhythm to the music. It didn't take long and I was lost again to the rest of the world. It was just Emmett and I on this dance floor. People fluttered around, but they all lacked the beat and grace to really move to the groove as it were. I also think the fact we weren't drunk helped a bit too.

It was starting to get late and Emmett and I had never left the dance floor. It was getting about that time when all the human patrons would go either find someone to take home or go to Taco Bell for drunk food. I would be doing the former and I already had my someone. I silently thanked God for giving me this wonderful gift of a man.

Emmett hadn't let go of me once on the dance floor. I flitted to his lips and kissed him deeply. I opened my eyes to see if I was having the right effect on him and was satisfied that I succeeded. His face was frozen in a passionate fire whilst on my lips. Bingo! I grabbed his hand and started to pull him towards the door to the street. The bouncer would surely get a surprise seeing us, if he remembered us that is. Emmett had a different plan. He pulled on my arm and we snuck back to the bathroom from where we entered. The bathroom had largely cleared out, but there were a few people running in and out of the stalls. The stench of puke, urine, and other bodily fluids made the whole room smell like a sewer.

Emmett led me into a stall and locked it behind us. "I can't wait!" he declared.

_Oh jeez_, I thought. _We're not having sex in this nasty ass bathroom._ I tried to make my protest clear, but Emmett blasted me with his dimpled smile.

"Trust me baby," he swooned. "You'll love the kinkiness." Who was I to argue? I wondered what Emmett had in mind. It didn't take long to figure out. He cupped my neck and the cold metal of his ring made my jaw stiffen. I moved my neck to the opposite side to give Emmett free reign over it. And reign over he did. He made little bits on my ear and down my neck to my collarbone. Damn, I love v-necks! Better access for my mate. He penetrated the skin, which made me convulse beneath his touch. I pulled him against me. I was glad that I ended up pinned between Emmett and the brick wall and not the bathroom stall. It probably would have crashed and we would have been interrupted. Emmett continued his onslaught on my neck. I whined and slowly moved my body. I was so tense that my body moved to stretch itself out automatically. I stretched myself out onto Emmett's body. He ran his fingers over my pecs and my nipples. I choked on my own unnecessary breath. I tried to muffle my cry when he squeezed a nipple between his lips. The friction of his lips pressing on my shirt and then my nipple was grandiose. I ran my hands through his curly hair and tugged on it, hard. Such earned me a husky growl from my husky man. He ran both his hands on either side of my body and traced the muscles down my shirt. Then, Emmett lifted my shirt so he could get ice cold fingers on my ice cold skin. He squeezed and rubbed my protruding pelvic bone. He followed the v from my hips closer and closer to my throbbing cock. I was positive that Emmett could see his activity was making my cock pulse. I looked down at Emmett who was at eye level with my zipper. He looked up into my black eyes and licked his lips. "You want me to?" he asked. "Tell me you want it. Beg for it."

Damn him! He had me and he knew it. I shook my head and bit my lower lip. "Please Emmett. Just do it. Suck me. Pleassse…"

"Good man," Emmett said as if almost to himself. He moved his palm across the entire outline of my cock. Two layers of clothing to go and Emmett's succulent mouth would be on my cock. He made quick work of the button of my jeans and pulled the zipper down with his teeth. I steadied myself against the brick wall. Emmett slid his fingers up to top of my jeans and slid them down—boxer briefs and all to just beneath my ass. The rush of air around my cock and balls added a new level of lust. Emmett looked into my eyes again and without breaking eye contact took my entire length into his mouth and throat. He didn't even choke. I wasn't as big as Emmett, or as girthy, but I could easily keep my own. I threw my head back as I entered a personal utopia of pleasure and slow release. I cried out some choice expletives that would have made Esme's ears bleed. I had to see what Emmett was doing to me; I had to see how he was undoing me. He pulled off my cock and it was covered with a thick coat of Emmett's venom. I whined a little. I wanted him back on me. He was only too happy to oblige. He licked around my tip and my legs gave out. Fortunately, Emmett grabbed my hips and held me against the wall as he slid his tongue up and down my shaft. He let me pierce his lips again and I slid into meet his tongue. He ran it around my length as I pushed my hips into him.

He kneaded my balls in an attempt to make me cum. It made me growl in even more pleasure and I grabbed the gate on the window above me for support. I jutted my hips out so my cock would get more of Emmett's attention.

He began to knead my ass with his hand. Then, he slid one finger past my rosebud and I nearly came undone. I was slow close. Emmett knew that. He also knew what I wanted and in turn, what he wanted. He growled, a deep growl and the vibrations of his vocal chords shook my cock in his mouth. I bit down on my lip, hard. I felt my teeth pierce the skin. I cursed and my body shook. It was then that Emmett pushed another finger past my rosebud and into me. He swirled it around and I came with such force that even Emmett had trouble keeping all my venom down. It spilled around his cheeks, but I didn't care. I was in pure ecstasy. My body rocked from side to side and I pulled on Emmett's hair even harder. Hopefully, I didn't pull any out.

"Oi vey!" I whispered as my orgasm subsided. I tried to catch my breath like a fool. Emmett raised himself up and smiled. He wiped some of my venom off his face and licked his fingers. My jaw dropped and I was on him in a vampire second. I could taste my own venom on his lips, but I didn't care. It just intoxicated me that much more. To know he could undo me like that made my cock stand at attention again.

Emmett laughed. "Want to get out of here so I can make love to you properly now? Enough of this kinky shit. Time to treat you like you deserve to be treated."

"I dunno. I like this kinky shit," I admitted.

"Come on, I'll make it better. You just wait and see. Trust me, babe," Emmett said.

"Mmmkay," I whispered. I did trust Emmett and he was notorious for facilitating a good time.

…

Back in the Honeymoon Suite, I climbed over Emmett's hulking chest to see what time it was. Emmett decided it was an opportune time to swat my ass. It stung like a bitch and I sunk my teeth into his pec. He growled in pain and pleasure. I licked around the bite mark, allowing my venom to seal the wound without a scare.

"You're dangerous," Emmett declared.

"You're hot," I responded. "And you know how to touch me in all the right ways." I shuddered reliving what had just transpired.

"What time is it?" he asked.

"4:30," I whispered. "Can we go home, like now?"

Emmett's eyes shot to mine. "You want to?"

"I'm kind of missing everyone and I don't want to miss another day of school. I kind of want some normalcy." My voice sounded determined.

"Whatever you want, babe. Let me make a few calls. It's only 2:30 back home. That gives a five and a half hour window to get to school."

"Think we can make it?" I asked unsure whether even vampires could do that distance, on foot or in the air.

"Let's see. You pack our bags and I'll make some phone calls." Emmett was out of bed in a flash, leaving me alone. I missed his presence. I shook my head and forced myself from the bed as well. In three minutes flat, I had pressed out the wrinkles in our clothing for the day with my hand, packed our bags, and showered. To save time, I decided that I had to shower alone because Emmett would distract me too much, even if unintentional. I wrapped a towel around my waist and exited the bathroom. Emmett was standing in his naked glory clutching his hips.

"Am I good or am I good?" he asked swaying his hips.

I swallowed the pooled venom down my throat. "You're good at many things, but which one are you talking about?"

"Okay, this is the dealio: I got a private jet reserved at the airport. It's going to take us directly to Port Angeles and from there, we'll run to school. I texted Eddy and asked him to bring our books and stuff."

"When does the plane leave?" I asked. It would have to leave like right now in order for this to work.

"Can I just say that the black card is fucking awesome? I offered to pay the pilot a bonus if he can get us to Port Angeles by 7:30 at the latest. He was, uh, very willing to work with us. He said he had a friend at the FAA that would file the flight plan by the time we got there."

"Awesome," I exclaimed. "I'm ready to go. You?" I took another gander his naked body.

"I'm going to shower. I need to get the stink of the club and the sex of you off me. Or would you prefer that I don't shower? Does my new scent turn you on?" Emmett ran two fingers down his chest and then put them both into his mouth. He savored the flavor on his fingers. My flavor.

I gritted my teeth and closed my eyes. "Fuck me, no! Go shower because I'll get too distracted by the concentrated love scent and fuck you right through the plane's floor."

I was frankly shocked that Emmett didn't get pulled over as we drove to the airport. When we got to the private plane departures area, I got out of the Escalade and went to grab the bags while Emmett met with the pilots. They seemed overly eager to please. I knew _the_ credit card was the reason why.

"Good news," the captain said. "The flight plan was accepted and we have an excellent weather window to operate under. That place you're going, Port Angeles, is full of weather advisories, but we should make it there in plenty of time."

"Flight time?" Emmett asked expertly.

"If we take off now, we'll land in roughly four hours."

"Remember the bonus offer, 7:30."

The other pilot joked, "Why? Got to get to school on time?"

I laughed to myself. _If you only knew._


	17. Ch 17: Eggs

Our flight to Port Angeles was thankfully uneventful. The jet was spacious and the pilots gave us absolute privacy once they closed their cockpit door. The cabin was decked out in ornate brass fixtures, faux wood trim, and a deep sea green carpet. It looked more like a train car than a jet. There was an array of seating arrangements we could choose from. There was three-person couch, a love seat, and a set of single seats that faced each other. No doubt a table could rise between the singles and serve as a dinner table. I just needed to find the button. In the end, Emmett and I found ourselves lazing on the couch. Me, sitting on one end and Emmett laying across the rest of the couch with his feet dangling off the side. He carefully laid his head in my lap and I absently caressed his hair for the whole trip. We rode the flight in complete silence. Our relationship, as it existed today, was sufficient communication for the time being. It was sublime.

We landed hours later and after the pilots helped us with our bags, they refueled the jet, and were on the tarmac for their return flight to Omaha. I looked at my watch, 6:59 PM. School started at 7:30.

"Emmett, what should we do with our bags?" I asked.

"Do you have anything special in them?"

I smiled brightly. "Let's see. I got you. Yep, I have everything."

"Smartass," Emmett said coolly.

"You mean cute ass."

Emmett cupped my ass, hard. "I mean both," he growled into my ear.

I winced in painful pleasure.

Emmett led me to a big dumpster behind the hanger the pilots dropped us off at. He quickly dispatched of our luggage and grabbed my hand. He didn't let go the entire trip to Forks. We were within a block of the school and slowed down to a human pace. Emmett let go of my hand and I instantly felt alone. I had to actively remind myself Emmett was right beside me.

Emmett could sense my trepidation. "I know. I feel it too," he reassured.

I felt better.

As we rounded the corner, I saw the Volvo and my Mustang. Jasper flung me my keys from across the lot and I nodded in gratitude. I missed my car!

Emmett grabbed the fob from my hand and clicked the alarm button. Rosalie jumped off her perch at the back and slapped Emmett upside the head. She turned to me and pulled me into a hug. "You two have fun?"

"How much do you know?" I asked.

"Alice kept us informed… all night. It was pretty great," Jasper teased.

Edward winced. I'm sure he absolutely loved the visuals that Alice's mind picked up.

Before I could apologize to Edward, Alice decided it was her turn to slap Jasper upside the head.

"When have you done something so romantic for me?" she scolded and stalked off.

"But babe!" Jasper opened his hands in surrender as he chased after her.

"Whoa, Emmett, Jazz sounds like you when you screw up," Rosalie commented.

"Huh?" Emmett asked quietly.

I turned to Emmett. "You know she's right. Your voice goes up an octave too."

Emmett exhaled in annoyance. I rolled my eyes and proceeded to class. Before I made it to the steps however, I pivoted on my heel and looked back to Emmett who I knew had followed every step I made. I mouthed my thanks and that was all that was needed. It seemed like a horribly simple way to thank him for being in my life and loving me that much.

"Anytime," he said.

He could be so sweet, I mean once you get over his brutish, but incredibly sexy exterior… and his five-year old demeanor. Who would think "boob" was funny when you're pushing the century mark? My mate did, and he was mine.

I found myself back in the routine of school easily enough. It was a welcome change of pace from the emotional rollercoaster of last week. Monotony never sounded so good. I was in gym sixth period when Coach Olsen broke the class into different activities. Unfortunately, I was split from Alice, Edward, and of course, Emmett. Murphy's Law would have this. To my increasing chagrin, when I entered the weight room, Nate Farling was there.

He was at the bench press and by the smell of the girls' arousal around him, I knew they were enjoying the sight. I almost gagged. As I passed Nate to get to the free weights on the far side of the weight room, Nate announced more than asked, "Where ya been last few days? Sucking some cock in Seattle?"

_No you impertinent asshole. I was burying my dead mother,_ my brain screamed. I could've liquefied Nate's face after that comment. Instead, I scoffed at him.

Ugh.

Fuck me.

That was my mistake, and I knew it.

"Something funny?" Nate goaded.

Still facing away from him, I rolled my eyes.

"Hey, I'm talking to you, Logan!" Nate had to play the tough guy. It was clearly his role in this high school. It was working too as everyone had their eyes glued to the growing spectacle that was Nate and me. You didn't need to be a vampire to notice, just a gossipy teenager.

I shook my head again. My rationality was yelling at the animal inside me. _Don't rip his throat out_. It kept repeating that phrase.

Maybe Nate would get out alive…

"Hey, fucker!" he yelled. I sensed his warm hand grabbing toward my shoulder. I definitely didn't want his grubby fingers on me, ever again. I thought about spinning around and wrenching on his hand and pop his finger bones out of his hand like a pimple, but that would be freakish.

I found my answer quick enough though; and maybe it would get Nate Farling out of my life forever.

Before Nate could get his sweaty palm on me, I turned around to face him with crossed arms. "What's up buddy?" I asked with as much sarcasm I could muster. "First off, I know you're trying to be one hell of a big shot in front of the ladies, but could you do it to someone else for a change. I already fucked your shoulder over once and although I'm more than willing to do it to you again right here, right now, I'd be willing to perform my magic again _after_ you take another hit of the _steroids_ so you can pump yourself up. At least then, it will be a _little_ more of a challenge to break your fucking arm. But be careful, you know that _steroids_ give you boobies and a tiny dick. And by the way you're already pumped up, I'm sure you don't have any more inches to spare." I made sure to enunciate every word clearly. I didn't want the asshole, or anyone within earshot, to miss a word. By the look of Nate's throbbing right temple, I knew I hit a nerve.

Nate got into my face and his body heat poured over me. He smelled nasty, and for a vampire to say that about a human was saying something huge. Could it be the steroids? Personally, I could see the chemicals circulating in his body, even now. I made a mental note to talk about it with Carlisle later. He absolutely loves to talk academic shit like this.

"Do you have a death wish?" Nate's attempted taunt failed miserably.

I wanted to say that I was already technically dead. Instead, I said, "If you would like, I could get the needle and 'roids out of your bag underneath the bench press and stick you right now!" I pointed out the bag.

Nate gulped. He knew that I got him and now he was worried. He didn't know how I knew.

"Fuck you!" Nate murmured. I was frankly surprised that the 'roid rage didn't overtake him right there. "You're not worth it, faggot."

Nate grabbed his bag and stalked out of the room. As he pushed through the door into the gym, I yelled back to him. "Not a faggot, darlin'!"

Nate stopped cold for a second, but then pushed through and he was gone. The tension was palpable though. I didn't know why he hated me so much. It was probably because I, appearing as a lowly human, should have been terrified by the muscle bound jock that was Nate Farling. In reality, it wasn't because I was a vampire with gifts, but rather that I saw Nate for who he really was. On the exterior, Nate was nothing more than a bully. But on the inside, he was a scared little boy who projected his fear onto others so as to mask it. It was sad really. I sighed internally. I almost felt bad for the asshole. Nah. I threw that thought to the side real quick. Carlisle would chastise me for my next thought, but thankfully he couldn't read minds. In the context of Nate Farling, I was superior to him in every way. That superiority gave me a power over Nate, which terrified him. I loved that power.

I glanced around the room and the other students were becoming unfrozen. As they went back to their routines, the girls who were ogling over Nate didn't take their eyes off me. Finally, one of them whispered to me. "You're playing with fire."

Fire had a completely different meaning to a vampire. Nate was no fire. He was a Neanderthal who was to smash his wooden club into an immortal telekinetic with diamond-thick skin who could crinkle the bat's car in around him.

I huffed a small laugh to the _little_ girl. "I've dealt with worse."

I spent the remaining period pretending to work out. Biceps, triceps, chest, legs, abdominals, et cetera were all _thoroughly_ exercised. I feigned exhaustion on several occasions, but my internal laughter at the joke of it all kept threatening to erupt from my lips.

...

My mood was jovial so I took my time in the shower and getting dressed. Ordinarily, I'd zip in and zip out so as to keep up appearances, but today was different. Today was a good day. I was pulling my jeans on when Emmett popped out of the showers and took his self-designated position next to me. The pull between his naked body, clad with a really small towel around his waste, and me unbearable. I gritted my teeth in an attempt to keep composed. Thankfully, no humans were watching, because at the speed that I finished getting ready, the papers in Coach Olsen's office, which was across the locker room, rustled.

"So sexy," Emmett whispered seductively.

"You're a bastard," I retorted.

"Yeah, a sexy bastard," Emmett whispered. He put his index finger to his lips and licked it, his venom coating it. He then lowered his finger to his nipple and circled it. It became erect in no time at all.

I was becoming erect in no time at all too. "Fuck," I whispered as I gulped back the venom that was pooling in my mouth.

Emmett took his time taking off his towel, putting it to the ground, putting on his socks, one by one, then his shirt, and on and on… Emmett left his succulent manhood dangling until the last possible moment.

I was pissed and horny at the same time. Pissed because I couldn't have Emmett right now and horny because well, it's Emmett. I was so enamored by the moment that I didn't think to check my phone, which was buzzing in my backpack.

When my phone didn't stop its fit, Emmett suggested that I tell whomever it was to go away. Then again, the only people who had my number were the Cullens and my mom's _former_ nursing home. I shuddered in sadness for a single moment, but regained my composure. I pulled out my phone to see four missed calls and four voicemails, all from Alice.

I called her back immediately. It didn't even ring when Alice picked up. And she was quick to the point. No pleasantries. "Get out of the locker room, NOW! We have to get home." She hung up.

I looked at Emmett who was completely dressed and ready to go.

What happened? The confusion was plastered Emmett's face too.

Opening the door from the boy's locker room, I saw Alice tapping her foot at an inhuman speed. "We got to get home. Jazz, Edward, and Rose are going to stay until the final bell and then come home. We can't have any more absences than needed."

"What's going on Alice?" Emmett asked. Emmett's defender mode was online; he was ready to destroy or protect, whatever the moment called for.

My hero.

"I'll explain in the car. Let's go." Alice grabbed my hand and pulled me into the cloudy haze of the student parking lot.

We hopped into the Mustang and were on the 101 going north for the short drive to our house. Before I could reiterate Emmett's question from the gym, Alice beat me to it with an answer.

"Someone broke into the house. I don't know if they saw anything _out of the ordinary_, but…" she grimaced.

"But what?" Emmett asked from the backseat.

"Whoever it was thought it would be funny to smear rotten eggs everywhere."

I became worried. "You mean they went through the whole house?"

Alice nodded.

This wasn't good. The rotten eggs aside, what had the intruder seen?

The house had original artwork and first edition books that were literally priceless. Was the fridge stocked with milk? Did the pantry have canned goods that weren't expired? Christ, did we even have dishes? I had never even looked! What about our bedrooms? The pictures? The lack of beds in some rooms—Edward's room! Everyone else had a bed, although they weren't used for sleeping… And what about Carlisle's study? It had collections of his notes about the vampire world, about the world that shouldn't exist.

Wait…

"Rotten eggs?" I asked.

"YES, LOGAN! ROTTEN EGGS!"Alice spat at me.

"Whoa, Alice calm down." Emmett wasn't pleased with someone, even his sister, talking to me like that.

"No, Emmett, it's fine," I said. "It was Nate… Nate Farling." I looked over to Alice whose vacant expression told me she was having a vision.

Alice gasped as she came out of her trance. She nodded. "Yeah, it was Nate… fucking Farling."

Whoa, Alice cussed. She only cussed when she was otherwise indisposed by Jasper's, um, ministrations.

"Makes sense since I pretty much outted his steroid addiction in gym today," I rationalized.

"But why didn't you see it before?" Emmett asked. Clearly, this question was for Alice.

"I never watch that asshole. I did for a while after what happened on Logan's first day of school, but since then, I stopped. I only saw what happened when Esme came home."

"She wasn't there?" I asked. It was probably good that Esme wasn't there because whoever stalked about Esme Cullen's house uninvited would literally die and the Quileutes wouldn't react well to a human death.

"No," Alice assured. "She brought Carlisle _lunch_ at the hospital today. I didn't see anything until Esme did."

Lunch? All three of us shuddered in unison. Ew… Lunch was code for an afternoon quickie.

I whipped the Mustang up the winding drive to the house. The putrid smell of the decomposing chicken matter blew through the vents of the car. I growled loudly. "I swear to God, if this fucking smell sticks to my leather interior, I will use Nate's blood as a rinse!"

"Yeah, I wonder what other body parts will get the smell out of my clothes…" Alice quipped.

Emmett looked to Alice. "Wait, Nate was in _your_ closet? Why?"

Alice shook her head in annoyance. "It's all becoming so clear now that I know who to focus on. Nate's driving north as we speak. He's going to Port Angeles with buddies and is _regaling_ them of his eggs-ploits in our house. He didn't know whose room was Logan's so he had to go through _my closet_ to determine that it wasn't Logan's room. Nate thought that eggs everywhere would be a good measure for us taking Logan in…"

"I am so sorry, Alice!" I put my hand on hers and held it tight. "I didn't realize my jibes to Nate could've resulted in this. I fucked up. I fucked up really bad. I should've just ignored him! I'm so sorry."

Alice growled… at me. I pulled my hand away from her in fear that she would rip it off. It was as much as I deserved.

As I pulled up towards the garage, I saw Esme sitting on the steps leading into the house. Her face was in her hands. Her body vibrated in what I hoped was a fit of rage, but my heart fell through the ground when I found out it was her tearless crying.

The absence of tears was the hardest thing to see on her face.

Alice was quick to console her. It was strange to see the role reversal, but to my relief, it didn't last long. Esme recovered herself and stood. She shook her face once as if she was shedding the feeling of exposure.

She turned to me as I spoke. "I'm so sorry, Esme. This is my fault. It was Nate Farling. He called me out at school today and I threw some choice insults back in his face. This is his revenge because he knew, somehow, that anything he'd throw at me would bounce off."

"I haven't gone through the entire house so I don't know where that kid was exactly. The smell is too bad." What Esme was trying to say is that she didn't know exactly what Nate knew about us. I could remember the placement of every item that could possibly expose us. The ancient parchment letter to Carlisle from the Volturi; Carlisle kept in a shelf of his study. The picture of Emmett embracing me in a more-than brotherly hug; it sits on the bed stand in Emmett's (and well, my) room. The investment portfolios with dollar signs in the millions or perhaps billions; they sit in the office. Those same portfolios had dozens of names on them too… Masen, Smith, Taylor… Oh god, what about the IDs, passports, and birth certificates that Jasper gave me? They were in that lockbox in my closet… It was locked though… How good of a lock was it? I had to see what was going on!

"I have to go see!" I announced and walked up to the door. The smell was disgusting and it made me retch. I held my breath.

"No, wait!" Esme pleaded. "We have to see what Carlisle wants to do. We can't disturb anything. I think we need to call the police. Not calling them would be more suspicious."

I stopped at the front door and peered into the cloud of rotten scent molecules. They were permeating everything. I gulped down the venom in my mouth. I wanted to place within Nate's mangled body. I wouldn't give him the satisfactions that came after the change though. As the burn in his body ended, I would end him. Only after a fire consumed him would I sever his head. Only then would my vengeance be satisfied. Nobody fucks with my family.

"NO!" Alice pleaded. "That will only bring more suspicion to this family! You CANNOT do what you are planning, Logan!"

Emmett was at my side in an instance. My body was shaking, phasing actually. Every atom of my being was shedding rationality and the human façade. The only thing remaining was the animal… the monster.

Emmett tried to hold me in place with his arms, but I phased right through him. Emmett moved to block me again, but hesitated. "Logan, babe. Look at yourself… What are you doing?"

When I didn't answer Emmett, he looked to Alice. She told Esme and Emmett of my plan.

"Too many people know about this, Logan," Esme rationalized. "If that Nate kid is telling his friends, Nate's subsequent disappearance would be suspicious! You cannot kills those kids with him either!"

I wanted to say collateral damage, but I held my tongue. I heard and soon saw Edward's Volvo and Carlisle's Mercedes traveling up the drive. They were out of the vehicle in a second. Emmett retold the story.

Jasper swallowed hard. I made eye contact with him. He nodded and our silent pact was established in a second.

Edward was in my face by the next millisecond. "NO!"

Without response, I walked around him and started towards the woods in the direction that I knew Nate Farling's truck was. Jasper met me at the end of the driveway.

Rosalie jumped into my way and Edward was at my back. She and Edward latched onto me and pinned me to the ground.

Carlisle and Esme held Emmett back. He was howling in rage. His primal instinct was to defend his mate.

I looked to Jasper who was being hugged, not held, by Alice. Her emotional hold was doing its trick on Jasper. Fine… I'll do it myself.

I stopped struggling. First, I looked to Rose. A long second later, I looked to Edward. I exhaled and ripped them both into the air with my mind. I held them there while they struggled. Their strength and speed had no power when they didn't have the ground or a tree to push off of.

"LOGAN! Look at yourself!" My eyes followed the voice. It was Esme. She approached me then; she was so small and timid before me, but that was only the physical presence. Her voice carried such authority that I did as she asked.

The closest mirrored image I could find was in the side mirror of my Mustang. My breath was stolen from me. I let go of Rose and Edward and they landed in fighting crouches. Esme put her hands up to both of them to stop them from attacking me. I walked slowly to the mirror and got a full picture of what I had become in only a few moments. Feeling the power of the monster was intoxicating. The power, the rage, and the thirst for revenge—all of it was palpable on my skin. It was stark white, like the family around me. This was the skin of my monster. I had chosen to let it out, to let it consume me.

My breath was ripped from me again by what mirror showed me next. When did I even take another inhale? I struggled to find the oxygen that I didn't really need. I put my hand to my mouth in shock. A pair of strong, burgeoning arms enveloped me in a vice grip. I wanted to struggle, but I lost the will to fight. Instead, I continued to stare into my soul through that mirror. I saw a pair of red eyes staring back at me. My soul was multifaceted. There was a lover, a mate, a brother, a son, a human, a vampire, and… a monster inside of me. The monster had red eyes. In all of my life… first or second, my eyes had never lost their blue shade unless I decided otherwise. Even now, on an exclusive animal-only diet, they were red. They should have been gold.

"Breath, Logan…" a voice muttered.

I tore my eyes away from the red eyes that stared back at me and in the direction of the voice. It was soothing.

It was Emmett that was holding me. "Breath, Logan," he repeated

I acquiesced to his command and took in a breath. It was putrid. Those fucking eggs threatened to push me over again. I took another breath, this one was refreshing. I closed my eyes and continued to breath. I turned my head into Emmett's chest and took another breath. The hint of rotten eggs was present, but it was overwhelmed by the sweet sweet scent of my mate. Emmett's scent permeated my being. If I had a blood pressure, I knew it would have fallen so drastically, a doctor would have thought I entered cardiac arrest.

After what seemed like a blissful eternity, I looked up into his beautiful gold eyes.

"That's my man," Emmett crooned. "Feel better?"

I bit my lip and nodded.

"You look more like yourself. So beautiful," he whispered as he put his chin on top of my head.

I looked around the forest behind Emmett and found a drop of water that had not evaporated from the day's onslaught of rainstorms. In that tiny drop, I found the parts of my soul that didn't include the monster. It had tan skin and eyes the shade of the ocean on a sunny day.

"Logan," Esme spoke. I pulled away from Emmett and found myself in the arms of my second mother.

"I'm sorry," I said. "It's just that this is all my fault."

"No… It's not your fault," Alice began. I looked at her incredulously. "Don't brood over it. Brooding makes you ugly."

Emmett laughed. "You could never be ugly, babe."

Oh geez.

Esme cleared her throat. I pulled away from her so that she could speak to me and not my chest. "Do you remember when I told you about choices? You have a choice here, but the consequences affect us all. So why don't we all make the choice together?"

My eyebrow hitched high on my forehead. "Huh?"

The person I would've least expected a thirst for revenge continued. "Just because I don't want you to kill him doesn't mean I don't want to see justice for what he did to you and this family," Esme snapped.

Whoa. Esme was scary when she was pissed.

"What should we do?" Rosalie asked as she picked off splatters of mud from her jacket.

I bit my lip.

Before I could apologize, she stopped me with her hand. "We all have our rage moments."

This seemed like the opportune time for Emmett to make a comment regarding Rosalie's _multiple _rage moments over the years, but even Emmett McCarty Cullen didn't seize the moment. Today was definitely a different day.

The Cullen family formed a circle in the driveway.

Jasper was the first to speak. "We need to determine what threat of exposure we are facing. I believe that will determine our course of action."

Nobody spoke for a heavy minute because we all knew what the ultimate course of action _could be_. If it came down to it, I decided I would kill Nate Farling. Letting another destroy him would destroy that person's accomplishments thus far. I thought of Jasper and how far he had come despite his constant thirst. I would not let Jasper jeopardize all that he had achieved. I would kill Nate Farling.

Edward interjected into my thoughts. "It would destroy you too. This isn't killing for sustenance."

"Even so, Edward, it would be pretty easy to kill the kid without leaving traces of us behind. A blocked airway or a torn heart valve would be quick and inconspicuous," I rationalized.

"And painful," Carlisle added.

Esme gave me a pained look.

I sighed. "Look, this is a worst case scenario, but I can kill him without a trace of evidence. Perhaps giving him a heart attack when he's working out. I know he's been keen on the steroids for months now." My plan was sound.

"Years actually," Emmett said. "I've known the guy since we moved to Forks. He tried to get me to play ball on the first day of school. I smelled the 'roids on him that day."

Carlisle found Alice's gaze. "What do you see? I know we haven't made any decisions, but is there anything you can add?"

Alice let a vision gloss over her eyes. "No, just bits an pieces of Nate's conversation. He says we're weird…"

"Not much of a shocker there," Emmett commented.

Alice continued. "He found your photos, Logan… of you and Emmett. He said that you two are more than brothers. He's, uh… is laughing. He always… WHAT A DOUCHEBAG!" Alice screeched.

Edward growled too. "Nate is making obscene statements about your love life, Logan."

It was Emmett's turn to growl.

"Perhaps we should revisit the death option," Rose opined.

I couldn't disagree.

"No!" Esme implored. "Nate's bigotry doesn't destroy his license on life."

"We could change him," Jasper suggested.

"Nate doesn't deserve that gift," I spat with a growl to emphasized the point.

Edward was about to open his mouth, but Alice cut him off. "Not the time."

"What should we do then?" Edward asked.

Carlisle made the decision then. "Esme, call the police and report the break in. Alice, how long ago was Nate here?"

"Almost exactly two hours ago," Alice determined.

Carlisle cupped his hands in one another and dictated. "Okay, this is the story. We all just arrived home from school and work. We decided to wait outside in case anyone was still inside and not to disturb any evidence. While we wait for the police to arrive, I suggest that we scour the house to see if anything is missing or if we left anything conspicuous out. If there is something out, we have to hide it so the police do not get wind of it themselves." Carlisle's plan was simple and would be effective.

Esme pulled out her phone and called the Forks Police Department. They would be out in fifteen minutes. At vampire speed, we ran through the house holding our breaths. I checked all the places that I thought could expose us: Emmett's and my bedroom, Carlisle's study, the office… It was getting close to time the police would get here, but I had one more place to check.

I walked into my room, which had been vacant for a while now. I only came in here to pick up clothes from my closet, which either ended up in Alice's Goodwill pile or shredded by Emmett at the end of the day. New clothes now got put into my half of Emmett's closet. I could barely smell Nate's scent in here. The rotten eggs were on everything. Nate definitely found this to be my official room and thought a full dozen of eggs would be proper retribution. What about my closet?

I popped my head into it. All my clothes were destroyed by the slop. It saddened me. I had a few articles in here that I kept away from Alice's Goodwill pile intentionally. The shirt I had on the day I met Emmett and Alice in the mall. The boots I ran in the day I saved Emmett from killing those poachers in Alaska. The vest I wore on the first day of school. All of this stuff had a thick gunk spread across it like jelly. Bastard…

I glanced at the top shelf and my heart hit a brick wall. "Are you fucking kidding me?" I yelled. "Of all the things…"

"What is it?" Emmett yelled as he stalked into my room. The rest of the family was on his tail.

I turned around to meet their glares. I rolled my eyes. "He stole my lockbox."

"That had your alternative IDs and six hundred thousand in cash?" Jasper asked rhetorically, the worry in his voice was ominous. "Were there any vampire-related items in it?"

"If you mean a picture of Emmett guzzling a grizzly bear, no…" I responded.

"Even so, this is troubling," Carlisle commented.

"It was locked though," I said with conviction. My vampire memory was crystal clear on that. I couldn't imagine that the Cullen's would buy a _cheap_ lockbox to store such material.

"The more time that Nate has that box increases the likelihood that he can get it open," Edward reasoned.

Our heads all turned toward the window, the sound of a car slowing on the highway permeated our ears. Carlisle nodded toward the door.

As I climbed down the stairs, I muttered to myself. "I'm going to kill him. I'm going to kill him."

Esme sighed. Was she telling me she agreed with my decision?

We took our positions near our vehicles in the driveway as a Forks patrol car slowed to a halt.

The sheriff put his hat on and got out of the vehicle.

Carlisle gave a solemn nod and offered his hand to the officer. Conveniently, Carlisle had his driving gloves on since _he had only just arrived_. "Chief Swan, thank you for coming out here so quick," Carlisle greeted.

"Dr. Cullen, I'm sorry to be here, but it's good you called. Do you know who could have done this?" the middle-aged man asked. Aside from a few gray hairs peeking out of otherwise brown hair, the human was unremarkable to me.

On cue, I approached the police chief. "I think I do, sir. I'm Logan Cullen and I go to Forks High with a kid named Nate Farling. He and I got into a spat in the weight room today. I think it was him."

"Do you have any evidence to substantiate your accusation?" Chief Swan was all business. I could appreciate this.

"No, sir," I responded.

"Well, it's a start. You folks mind if I look around the house and take evidence? Afterward, you can look through the house see if anything was stolen."

Carlisle nodded his assent. We sat in silence for forty-five minutes while the Chief worked through the house. I had an errant thought pass my mind, why didn't the city detective do this? Isn't this a bit bigger than a simple police officer?

Edward whispered to me, "This is Forks. Tiny town means tiny budget. There isn't a detective here."

That wasn't all that shocking.

A little later, Chief Swan exited our house. "Wow, that smell is awful. You'll probably need a professional cleaner to come through this. Nobody is in the house and there doesn't seem to be any disturbed items or rooms. The presence of the rotten eggs seems to indicate a pattern. I want you all to look around your house and see if anything is stolen. Don't touch anything. I'll take finger prints and other evidence if you find something is missing or has been moved."

At a human pace, we pretended to look around. Eventually, I informed Chief Swan about the missing lockbox. After taking fingerprint samples near where the lockbox should have been, Chief Swan said, "If what you are saying about Nate's attitude toward you, it would make sense that he would target you. But he's a good boy and comes from a good family. He doesn't seem like a burglar. What exactly is the nature of your relationship with Nate Farling?"

Alice put her arm around my waist and answered his question, "Sir, Nate Farling is a bully and ever since Logan started school here, Nate has made it his mission to terrorize Logan. Nate has thrown Logan into lockers for example."

Chief Swan nodded in understanding. "What was special about today's interaction?"

I looked to Alice and she and I shared the same thought: a perfect question with a perfect _implicating_ answer. "Well sir, I made a reference to Nate's, uh…" I pretended to hesitate.

"Son, come out with it. Better to be honest with me now," Swan commanded.

And I would be totally honest. "Well sir, I know he does steroids to keep in top physical shape for football, wrestling, and all the other sports he does. I called him out on it finally. I'm not making this up to get revenge for what Nate did just now either. You can ask other students at the school. It was a very public thing."

"Yeah, he just got offered a scholarship to play ball at UW," Chief Swan added. He hesitated for a moment.

Carlisle came into the room. "Chief Swan, as a physician, I must input to you how dangerous steroid use is on a young man. I would be remiss if I didn't inform Mr. Farling's parents about my son's assertions."

I could see the good old boy network in Forks was eating at the Chief. Thankfully, Swan's notion of duty and honor disallowed him from doing anything less than what was the right thing. "No, I'll inform his parents and the school principal. It will be quite the scandal if you're right. But tell me Logan, does he do the injections himself?"

"I know he has the syringes and the chemical in his workout bag," I said.

Carlisle piped in again. "Chief Swan, it is imperative that you secure these needles. Not only is it illegal for a unlicensed individual to wield them, but the sanitation of these needles could lead to the transfer of dangerous blood-borne illnesses such as hepatitis."

Swan nodded. "Don't worry, Dr. Cullen. I'll look into the matter. I wish I could say have a good night, but with the state of your home, I wish you good luck."

"That is kind of you to say, Chief." Esme had crept in the room. Ever the gracious entertainer, Esme couldn't resist an opportunity to assist another while they were in her house. "We'll get to cleaning this mess up in a jiff."

"Well, good evening to you all," Chief Swan bowed his head and took Carlisle's hand in his own. Conveniently, Carlisle had been resting it on a heating vent for the past five minutes. It worked because Swan didn't shiver when his skin met Carlisle's.

Swan drove his cruiser down the long winding road and was gone.

The family met in the driveway again. Nobody wanted to return to the filth-infested house. Even the clothes we were wearing reaked now.

I looked back at the big house. It was more than a house though. It was a home. It was the place where I found a family again. It was the place where I found Emmett. It was the place where I found a life.

I could see the stink molecules floating about. They permeated everything.

"Hmmmm…" I mused.

Edward said, "It is worth a try."

"What?" Esme asked.

"A surprise," I said with a smile. I put my hands out toward the house. Slowly, I felt around the house with my mind. I too permeated every molecule and atom that existed inside. I could feel the texture of the carpet. I could feel the decay of the bananas sitting in the fridge. We had bananas? I could feel the heat excite the air around the vents. Most of all, I could feel the eggs. I laughed to myself a little. I felt the eggs.

With a long inhale of air, I pulled all the eggs—slim, stew, slop, and associated stink out of the house. Each stink molecule slid easily through the windows and the walls of the house. It shocked me how careful I was able to be to manipulate the egg molecules and keep them from smashing into the wall molecules.

The whole stunt appeared to be a shower of yellow falling horizontally first out of the wall, and then vertically to a space just in front of my hands. The molecules coalesced into a ball and grew ever larger. A minute later the yellow rain stopped and my ball was completed.

"IS that what I think it is?" Emmett asked as he approached it.

"Don't touch it," I cautioned. I turned to face the family and pulled the stink off them.

"Logan, did you _de-stinkafy_ the house?" Esme asked in wonder.

De-stinkafy? Is that even a word?

"Just answer the question," Edward advised with a subtle smile.

I nodded. "What should we do with my stinkball?"

Without skipping a beat Esme asked, "Putting it in Nate's bedroom is out of the question isn't it?"

With that, the whole family lost it. Emmett laughed so hard, the ground rumbled. I feared losing control of the stinkball so I had to level off my own laughter.

"Just get rid of it," Rose said. The thing made her nervous. It probably could fuck up her hair royally.

I didn't need another opinion on the matter. I looked up into the starry night that enveloped us and launched the ball as far as my ability would allow it to go. Somewhere in the forest, a spray of the foulest smelling particles was enveloping the wildlife.

"Hopefully, there were no campers in that direction!" I exclaimed.

"Oh jeez," Jasper laughed.

I joined him.

The atmosphere tensed in a moment however when Carlisle spoke. "The lockbox."

Right. The lockbox.


	18. Ch 18: A Dish Best Served Cold

_Right. The lockbox. _

"I have an idea on that matter, Carlisle," Jasper said. "If we hurry, we might be able to switch the lockbox out with another. All those lockboxes are the same color and brand. Nate wouldn't know. Alice, what is Nate doing in Port Angeles right now?"

"McDonalds drive-thru," Alice answered succinctly. "They're going to go out into the woods and try to smash the lockbox open."

"Right," Carlisle nodded. He met my gaze. "Do it."

In a flash, I ran into the house. I went to my room to find things to put into it. I heard Jasper run to his and Alice's room to get their lockbox.

_What should I give up?_ I thought.

We all met in the living room fifteen seconds later. Jasper had ripped all the incriminating evidence from his lockbox and it laid empty for me to refill. My articles were so perfectly human.

A photo of the Cullen family.

My birth certificate, which was perfectly doctored so I was seventeen years old.

My passport.

My adoption papers.

My first mom's death certificate.

"Perfect," I commented to myself. I closed the lockbox and locked it.

"Edward, you, Jasper, and Logan better go. You're all the fastest," Carlisle instructed. We nodded in agreement.

Alice piped in. "They are chowing down in the parking lot. I'll text you if when they decide where they'll go afterward."

"Thanks darlin'," Jasper said as he pulled Alice into a fierce kiss.

I would've gagged if Emmett didn't appear before me. He gave me an equally fierce kiss and I briefly considered letting Edward finish the job.

"No!" Alice broke her kiss from Jasper to pull me from Emmett. "You need this revenge. I'm seeing that it will be nothing less than cold and delicious."

Emmett smiled evilly. "Revenge is a dish best served cold."

"You know Shakespeare?" I asked.

"No," Emmett answered as if I was stupid. "It's from Star Trek! General Chang, duh! The Klingons, you know."

"No, Em, he doesn't know," Edward interjected. "Let's go you two." And we were out in the forest running towards our prey before Emmett could say gagh.

Later, Jasper, Edward, and I were walking in the streets of Port Angeles. Jasper's pocket vibrated. He read the text aloud. "Driving on the Hurricane Road. Just snuck by the gate into the park."

"Perfect," said Edward. "The Olympic National Park was empty this time of night. So would the road to the park that Nate decided to take."

It took no effort to find ourselves trailing Nate's truck up the small two-lane road toward the road's namesake… Hurricane Ridge. We held back in the woods, but easily kept pace with the meandering vehicle.

"Ready?" Edward asked me. I grasped the lockbox a little tighter and increased speed. I saw a rock outcropping overhanging close to the road. A perfect launch point, but where was the real lockbox right now? I used my ability to see through the metal and plastic of the truck cabin. It wasn't there. I let my eyes draw across the truck and into the truck bed.

"Found it!" I announced.

Nate's truck got closer to the outcropping and as it passed I hopped off the rock and into the bed of the truck with a huge thud. I crouched down low so I was out of sight of the rearview mirror.

Nate slammed on the breaks suddenly, but quickly hit the gas again.

"WHOA, Nate, drive much?" I heard one of his friends say. From his voice I knew it was a guy named Geoff and he was only a semi-douche bag.

"Did you hit something?" another guy asked. This one was Adam.

"Fuck you, I'm an awesome driver. Let's pull off here and take a look at the faggot's lockbox." I had to bite my tongue to keep from growling at Nate's comment.

Quickly, I switched the real lockbox out for the dummy. I was about to jump out, but noticed that my lockbox was all scratched up, probably from sliding around in the truck bed the whole ride from Forks. I knelt back to the dummy and I dug my nails into across the lockbox. The scratches weren't exactly identical, but I didn't think Nate would question it much.

"Asshole," I commented quietly as I hopped out of the truck bed with a grand push on Nate's springs. I wished that I could've snapped the axle. That would have been hilarious.

As I landed in the trees near my brothers, I had an afterthought about the things I had left in the dummy lockbox. They were treasures, and I left them behind. I was saddened by their loss.

I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was Edward's. "That is what a crystal clear vampire memory is good for. You can remember your treasures without needing them physically."

He was right.

We watched from the tree line as Nate pulled his truck over to the side of the vacant road. He jumped out, as did the others.

"So what did you do exactly?" Adam asked as Nate ripped the dummy lockbox from his truck bed. He took it over to a picnic table and started to slam it hard on the wooden surface.

"If that little fucker is able to get that lockbox open that way, I'm getting our money back from the safe company!" Jasper said in an annoyed tone.

Edward laughed at the comment.

I continued to watch events of the dummy lockbox unfold…

"Like I told you before, I busted into Cullen's house to see what he's all about. They're fucking weird, the whole family," Nate spat out. "I didn't know which one was Cullen's room so I had to look around. I made sure to leave some surprises in the rooms I did go in!"

"Yeah, my Dad asked me what happened to all those eggs from the chicken coop," Geoff said. Geoff lived on a farm outside of Forks. That at least answered where a hundred rotten eggs came from.

Nate took a crowbar out of his truck and started to wedge the lockbox open. He scratched it up more, but it didn't budge. That was solid workmanship. Maybe Jasper wouldn't need to get his money back.

"Don't ya think he going to know it was you?" Adam asked, the worry coloring his voice.

"Don't be such a pussy," Geoff jumped in. "Nate's the star quarterback. He'll be fine. His Dad is a best friend of Swan."

Nate chuckled. "Fucking, Logan Cullen. So perfect. What an ass-tard. Fuck! This lockbox won't budge."

"Maybe we should just ditch it. You know, the evidence," Adam suggested.

"Hell no! I want to see what's in this damn thing. Anything we could use to fuck Cullen's life up would be awesome!" Nate exclaimed. "Fuck this!"

I watched with shock as Nate pulled a shotgun out of his truck. I looked over to Jasper, who shared my shock.

"They should hire Nate as a quality control tester," Edward suggested from my other side.

"My thoughts exactly," I agreed.

Nate pinned the lockbox underneath one of the picnic table's legs and walked twenty feet from the lockbox. With a single shot, the lockbox's metal screeched horribly.

From the angle that we were positioned, we couldn't see if Nate was successful.

"Whoa, dude! You got it," Geoff said.

I looked to Jasper. He merely quipped, "Good aim."

Geoff ripped the lockbox from beneath the picnic table and flung it up top. From its new position, I could see that Nate was indeed a good shot. He blew the locking mechanism clear off. Although it still smoked, the damage was only to the mechanism, not its contents.

"Let's see what faggy Cullen keeps in here," Nate said bitterly. I held the real lockbox close to me at that point. The contents it held were vital to Nate's life, literally. The irony was powerful.

"Dude, you're an asshole," Adam said.

"What?" Nate fingered through the contents.

"Look at the date on this… This chick died, like last week. That's why he wasn't in school last week."

"Huh?" Nate said pulling the death certificate away from Adam.

"Dude, you're a dick," Geoff said. "You fucking broke into his house and fucked it up. That was his mom who died. Look at the bottom of the certificate."

I did a mental fist pump. Nebraska law required that a coroner's list any possible next of kin to the deceased and their relationship. The list had only me, Logan Middleton, and I was listed as the biological son. I may have disappeared long ago, but I was never declared dead…

This was turning out perfectly. Revenge was so delicious.

"Whatever man, help me get rid of this," Nate said as he shut the lockbox.

Adam and Geoff followed Nate toward a wall of ragged rock on the far side of the road. Together, they pulled some of bigger rocks out of the way and Nate stuffed the lockbox inside.

"Why don't they just burn it?" Edward asked.

"No lighter?" Jasper asked in answer.

"His mistake," I commented. I met Jasper and Edward's gaze. "I could put the dummy lockbox back into Nate's truck bed tonight, so that when Swan investigates, he would find it."

"You are conniving," said Jasper.

Edward smiled evilly.

I shrugged my shoulders.

Nate, Geoff, and Adam spent several minutes covering the dummy lockbox tightly behind the rocks. Afterward, they hopped into Nate's truck and started down the mountain. I walked out onto the empty road and pulled the lockbox out of the rocks with my mind. I handed the real lockbox off to Edward and started down the road towards Nate's truck with the dummy.

Catching up to Nate took only a few seconds and launching myself at a large tree I did a sort of sideways pole vault right back into Nate's truck bed. I landed with another thump, but nobody said anything this time and Nate didn't react. Perhaps he was pondering how much of an asshole he was. I had to hold my mouth shut. Laughing at this moment was the worst idea. I hunkered down below the view of the humans and dropped the dummy lockbox into a corner. I threw some crap that was lying in the bed on top of the lockbox to keep it camouflaged. Regardless if Nate found it, a replacement dummy lockbox would find itself within the possession of Nate in no time, courtesy of me.

Having achieved my objective, I phased my body through the vehicle and found myself swimming in the solid asphalt. I waited a few seconds before I surfaced, and when I did, Nate's truck was no where to be seen. I sensed my brothers had caught up to me and sure enough, Jasper offered his hand to me. I grapped it and he pulled me up from the road.

Jasper was shaking his head at me.

"What?" I asked him. He's seen my phase before. Old news.

"Alice sent us a group text. Check your phone," Edward suggested.

I pulled out my phone. It read: "Be at the Farling's house at 6:46 AM on the dot. You're going to love this."

I let a shit eating grin plaster my face. The growing anticipation was horrendous, but I was sure it would be worth it.

Jasper, Edward, and I took our sweet time in getting back to Forks. We dropped several deer, mountain lions, and a black bear. Emmett would be pissed he missed male bonding time, but I would make it up to him later.

At 6:45 AM, we arrived at Nate Farling's house. It was a grandiose building in a nicer subdivision of Forks. We held back in trees to watch whatever was to happen unfold. At 6:45 and 30 seconds, the rest of my family came running. Emmett took me into a tight hug and smashed his lips on me.

"Look," Alice said breaking me away from Emmett.

Nate came out of his house and fingered with the keys to his truck. 6:45 and 55 seconds.

"And action," Alice said hysterically.

At that moment, Forks Police Chief Swan's police cruiser swung into the driveway of the Farling residence. I heard Nate's heart begin to race. He was fearful.

"Your parent's home, Nate?" Swan asked. He was all business.

"Yeah, they're in the house. Can you move your car? I'm late for school," Nate lied. School didn't start for an hour.

"I'm afraid this involves you too," Swan said.

Our collective gaze watched as Momma Farling and Daddy Farling waltzed out of the house. Daddy Farling shook Swan's hand in good old boy fashion. "What can I do for you Charlie?" he asked.

"Well Henry, the Cullen's home was broken into last night and vandalized. One of the Cullen boys has accused your son as the perpetrator," Swan said.

"That's impossible!" Momma Farling said. She ran over to Nate and hugged him.

Nate was frozen.

"I need to look into all leads, Mrs. Farling," Swan announced. Turning to Nate, Swan asked, "Where were you yesterday in the late afternoon?"

As if he practiced, Nate gave an elaborate story about how he, Adam, and Geoff went to Port Angeles to purchase Valentine's Day presents for their girlfriends. "You can ask Adam or Geoff. They'll tell you the same thing," Nate finished.

"So they can corroborate your story?" Swan asked.

Nate nodded forcibly.

"And you didn't go to the Cullen's house before you went to Port Angeles?"

"That's right. We went right after the seventh period bell," Nate said.

"Honey," Momma Farling pulled away from Nate. "Honey, I saw you at Hank's getting gas at 2 yesterday. You weren't in school. You have seventh period as a free period. And I thought Geoff and Adam have seventh period free as well. I remember you planning that out when you did your Senior schedules."

Nate's story was getting shaky. Swan realized this too and raised his eyebrow.

"There's more, Mrs. Farling. The Cullen's reported that only one thing had been stolen. A safe deposit lockbox full of Logan Cullen's personal things." Swan fingered through his notes reading them over: a family photo, birth certificate, a passport, a death certificate.

"Well, that doesn't seem very valuable," Daddy Farling tried to minimize the veracity of the crime.

Swan cut Farling off quick. "We're talking about a class one felony. Breaking and entering into a house, destruction to property, and removal of personal property from said house is a big thing in Washington. By all rights, the Cullens could've shot whomever it was that entered their house. Thankfully, that didn't happen."

"Or Logan didn't eat him," Emmett joked.

"Not funny," Esme scolded.

I laughed.

"Are you sure you weren't involved in this, Nate?" Swan asked.

"Yes, I'm sure. Christ, do I need to you read me my rights or should I get a lawyer?" Nate was getting angry. Cue steroids!

Daddy Farling jumped in. "Son, Chief Swan is just trying to get to the bottom of this. Give him the respect he deserves."

"It's okay, Nate," Swan tried to lower the intensity of the situation. "I'm just asking some questions. I'm going to do some more investigation, but aside from that, there is another matter we need to discuss."

Edward jumped in. "Swan's putting the breaking and entering investigation to the side. He's going to ask about the steroids now."

"Fuck this," I said. "I want to see Nate get arrested." I felt outwards towards the humans and for the dummy lockbox. It was still in the truck bed. With a not so subtle push, I lunged the lockbox from one side of the truck bed to the other. It crashed really loud.

"What was that?" Daddy Farling asked.

Swan's eyebrow went up again. He approached Nate's truck bed and looked in it. For a moment, Swan's temple throbbed. He was pissed. He saw the lockbox. He now saw that Nate was lying. He saw that I was right. Nate had done those terrible things yesterday.

Swan put on latex gloves on his hands and walked around the truck. He picked up the lock lockbox and asked Nate, "Is this yours?"

Without skipping a beat, Nate answered in the affirmative. He was probably flipping out as to how that lockbox got into his truck again. Edward whispered, "He thinks Geoff or Adam did it as a joke."

"Really?" Swan's voice drew my attention back to the events occurring on the front lawn of Farling residence.

Nate's Dad was confused. "When did you buy this? It's all scratched up."

"The lock is busted," Swan observed. "By a gun shot? May I have your permission to open it?"

"Yes," Momma Farling said instantly. She was looking at her son now. She too realized that Nate was lying.

"Understood," Swan said as he opened the lockbox. He pulled out the photo, the birth certificate, the passport, and the death certificate. After a hot second, Swan asked sarcastically. "Care to recant your story?"

"IT'S NOT MINE! SOMEONE PUT THAT THERE!" Nate yelled. He pounded his fists into the hood.

"Honey, did you break into the Cullen's house?" Momma Farling's temper was rising.

"GOD DAMNIT! I DIDN'T!" Nate approached his mother forcibly.

"That's it," Swan said and swooped in between Nate and his mother. Despite the size difference, Chief Swan took Nate down onto his chest… hard. Swan took out his handcuffs and snapped them shut on Nate's wrists.

"I'm placing you under arrest and charging you with the breaking and entering, destruction of property, and theft of property from the Cullen arrest." Swan announced as he pulled Nate onto his feet. After Swan read Nate his Miranda warnings, he asked the Farling parents what they wanted to do. Momma Farling was crying. Swan agreed that Nate be released to his parents' custody pending arraignment.

Swan placed the lockbox into his cruiser and turned back to the Farlings. "Under no circumstances is Nate to approach Logan Cullen or his family. If Nate does, I will arrest him and he will sit in the jail until arraignment. Might be a good idea not to send him to school today. He seems to be having a behavioral problem today."

Swan drove off. Momma and Daddy Farling stocked into the house leaving Nate in the driveway alone. Tears were streaming down his face. All that he had… popularity, physique, a scholarship would all ruined when this got out.

As horrible as it is to take joy from someone else's pain, I thought without a doubt in my mind that life was good.


	19. Epilogue

The story of Nate Farling breaking into the Cullen house flew around the school like a hurricane. Oddly enough, it earned my family very little attention. This was the case mostly because it was Nate's act itself that was so shocking plus the way he was caught.

Nate alleged that it was all Kyle and Adam, but those two told Chief Swan the truth of what happened on Hurricane Ridge. The truth was more convincing then web of lies Nate had spun to save his ass. Nate's parents convinced him to plead guilty to the charges in order to seek leniency.

When asked about our family's position, as victims, Carlisle in open court merely requested that Nate be treated for steroid addiction. Carlisle was more concerned about Nate's individual wellbeing then getting the book thrown at him. Oh Carlisle, the eternal healer.

The steroid problem in Forks was quite the scandal. UW revoked Nate's scholarship and even announced mandatory drug testing for all types of drugs including steroids. Forks High School announced a similar policy for all student athletes. It would be expensive, but a foundation offered to fund the program. Jasper had so been kind to set up that foundation for me. It would be well funded into perpetuity from the dividends my stocks earned annually.

After reviewing the case, the judge offered Nate two options: drug rehab or prison time. Nate chose the first one and after some wrangling, Nate was on a plane for Ohio. He would do rehab there away from the distractions (and I thought embarrassment) that Forks offered him now. Nate had family in Ohio so he could be near people who loved him.

Within a week of Nate's departure, life in the sleepy town of Forks returned to normal. Gossip at school turned to newer and juicer topics leaving Nate all but forgotten. I wouldn't forget him however. He would never know how close he came to death. I would know it for him. I realized then how far I would be willing to go to keep the secret of my kind and protect my family. The secret was the key to my family's survival.

It was pushing mid-March when Chief Swan's patrol cruiser meandered up the winding driveway. It was a sunny day so the rest of the Cullens cleared out of the house lest an unpredictable shade of sun bounce off their skin from a window. I greeted the chief with a sturdy handshake. (I made sure to leave my hand on the stovetop, which I turned to high, for a few seconds before greeting Swan of course.)

"What can I do you sir?" I asked.

"Well, since the Farling case is closed, I can return this to you." Swan handed me the lockbox. It opened easily and my treasures were before me.

I offered Swan some coffee.

"Thank you, Logan, but no. I have to head over to Seattle to pick someone up from the airport."

"Oh, who?" I asked, genuinely interested.

"My daughter, Bella, is moving back to Forks. She's been with her mother in Phoenix for the last couple of years. She'll start at the high school with you tomorrow."

"Oh, I'll keep an eye out for her," I said with a nod.

"I appreciate that," Swan said. "Well, I'll let myself out. You stay out of trouble, Logan."

"Trouble, sir? Never!" I said trying to keep the sarcasm from my voice.

"Mmmmhmmm," Swan said as he took to the stairs and out the door. For being only a human, Swan was pretty intuitive.

"I agree. We'll have to watch out for him," Edward said. I saw the family file in through the open kitchen window.

"We'll have to watch out for his daughter too," I mused. "I sort of promised."

"What was her name?" Alice asked.

"He said her name was Bella," I responded. "Probably just another human girl. Nothing special."

Everyone around me nodded in amusement.

"When does she start at school?" Emmett asked pulling me into his arms.

"Tomorrow," I said. "No biggie."

Yeah right… No biggie. Little did I know Bella would push this family onto a roller coaster ride that we would never forget through eternity. Bella Swan was about to enter our lives, and Edward's especially.

…

**A/N: Thank you so much for reading this story. I decided to pen a sequel so if you liked "Second Life," I invite you to read "Life Resolute" next. You can find it on my Author's page.**


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